


Seeing Eye to Eye

by TheGuardianKnux



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: ASL Link, F/M, Ganondorf is Link's adoptive father - Freeform, Link has a great relationship with Ganondad, Modern AU, Mute Link, Other, Romance, Slow Burn, Zelda is a music teacher, certain characters have anxiety, ganondad, modern hyrule, zelgan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-10-20 13:50:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 45,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10663941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGuardianKnux/pseuds/TheGuardianKnux
Summary: Ganondorf Dragmire is a CEO of his own company and has just adopted Link, a mute Hylian boy who can only speak in sign language. His life is turned upside down when Link’s music teacher, Zelda Harkinian, starts to form a deep bond with Link and continues to pry into Ganondorf’s life, much to his annoyance. Despite her prying the two start to grow a close friendship that eventually blossoms into more.  Zelgan, modern Hyrule AU.





	1. Dinner and Tensions

If you had asked Ganondorf what he had expected when he had enrolled his newly adopted son into school, he wouldn’t have expected the school’s music teacher to be so nosy. He wouldn’t have expected her to become close with his son, and he wouldn’t have expected her to insist to make a house visit.

 

He wasn’t enjoying that last one.

 

The Gerudo grumbled as he waited for Zelda to arrive, working on dinner for their little  _ meeting.  _ She better enjoy vegetarian food. He wouldn’t be changing tonight’s meal just for her sake.

 

Stirring some stew in a pot, his golden gaze trailed over to Link, who was playing with his toys on the living room floor. Link seemed happy, hugging his boar plush while holding up a Gerudo figurine. The figurine was battling with a Hylian figurine. Much to Ganondorf’s pride, the Gerudo figurine seemed to be winning whatever battle was taking place. As it should be. What kind of Gerudo would lose a battle against a Hylian?

He sighed, checking his watch with a dark glare. Where was she? He didn’t tolerate tardiness. It was rude.

 

Checking on dinner one last time, Ganondorf left the stove on and went to sit down in the living room, debating if he should have done some work before she came over. Mostly he wanted to chew her out for being late.

 

_ What kind of teacher shows up late to a meeting. _ He grouched, glaring down at the floor for a moment.  _ And in my own home. _ His glare melted into a softer look as he watched Link eagerly act out some sort of fighting scene with his toys. A ghost of a smile flickered onto his face as Link had the Gerudo warrior try and chop the head off the Hylian soldier. As the soldier fell and “died,” Link pretended to cheer and applaud the Gerudo warrior for her kill.

 

Of course he could tell when his own son was cheering, even if others could not.

 

Sensing that his little play fight hadn’t gone unnoticed, Link turned and grinned up at his father, looking pleased. Amused, Ganondorf asked playfully, “Having fun? That looked like quite a vicious battle.”

 

Link nodded eagerly and sat up, clutching his stuffed boar close and looking proud. He felt proud whenever he did something to make his father happy! He always seemed so angry or glum, so to see him smiling and asking about the super cool battle he had just thought out always made Link feel great!

 

The little Hylian boy held his hands up and started to sign quickly all about the battle. He explained that the Gerudo Warrior was watching over the Sand Goddess’s temple when the nasty, no good Hylian soldier had tried to trespass onto sacred grounds. Ganondorf hummed in approval of the story line and offered ways to make it more realistic and dramatic, which made Link grin widely. His father was right! He should have the Gerudo Warrior be much more vicious!

 

A soft, rhythmic knock sounded on the door, making the Gerudo stiffen. He sighed and motioned for Link to sit up. Link did, and elicited a groan of irritation from his father who realized Link was still wearing his pajamas.

 

“We’ve talked about this- you can’t have dinner with Miss Harkinian in your pajamas.” He nagged slightly, causing the young boy to roll his blue eyes. Ganondorf gave a sharp look at that. “Link, go and change.”

 

Link pouted and dramatically collapsed on the ground, as if the very effort to change his clothes was going to kill him.

 

His father simply snorted and shook his head, trudging over to the door to let Link’s music teacher inside.

 

Opening the door, Ganondorf immediately chided her with a gruff, “You’re late.”

 

“My apologies.” The young blonde woman sighed, giving a sheepish look, “The trains were running late.”

 

“Sure they were.” He let her inside, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her.

 

Zelda sighed softly and stepped inside the rather warm, exotic, and luxurious house. To be honest, she would have never expected the founder of Dragmire Enterprises to enroll his son in their school, let alone have a son at all. She would have never taken Ganondorf Dragmire as the… Fatherly type. Although she supposed, deep down, his capacity for affection and kindness was there. Just not towards her.

 

Zelda rolled her eyes and fiddled with her sweater sleeves. Of course not. She was Hylian- why would he like her. She knew why he wouldn’t.

 

Which only made it much more surprising that he had adopted a Hylian child at all.

Either way, Zelda loved having Link in her class. He was such a charming boy! Always excited to learn new songs, or how to read music. Out of all her first graders, he was the most diligent and excited.

 

Zelda Harkinian loved her job as the sole music teacher at Castle Town Elementary School. While the young woman could teach at any of the schools, and any grades in the district… She always had a soft spot for K-5 grade.She loved music, and more than that she loved teaching it to her impressionable students. It didn’t matter to her if they were Hylian, Gerudo, or Goron! She loved to see all the children’s faces light up as they understood how to count out rhythms, sing correct pitches, and feel the emotions of the text.

 

The young woman smiled at the memory, hugging herself and not realizing she was staring off into space as she thought about her lovely students.

 

It made Ganondorf confused. He hadn’t spoken to her in Gerudo… She could come in and stop standing in the doorway anytime now. “Hello?” He grumbled, snapping her out of her day dreaming.

 

“Coming.” Zelda flushed and adjusted her thick glasses, feeling embarrassed. Stepping inside more she examined the home. It felt… Cozier than she had expected. Thick, tall furniture dotted the living room. Thick, ornate curtains were drawn over the tall, wide windows. Tons of pillows and blankets covered furniture in the living room. The only light inside it came from lanterns lit and placed about the tall living room. On the coffee table a candle burned, making the room smell of exotic spices.    
  


An entertainment center was in one corner, while the other housed a gigantic bookshelf filled with books—their spines covered in foreign titles she couldn’t understand. Zelda’s cerulean eyes widened as she realized how priceless and ancient some of those books looked. Her hands itched to snag one off the self and start perusing it.

 

Trying to focus her thoughts, her attention was caught to a strange keyboard instrument in a room off to the side of the living room. Some sort of practice room or study? The strange instrument looked like a pipe organ but much smaller than an average one.

_ Not everyone keeps an organ in their house….  _ She mused to herself. Wishing to make some sort of small talk, she asked kindly, “Do you play?”

 

“Yes.” He answered stiffly, turning to look back at the young woman. His eyes seemed filled with apathy, making her tense up. What had she done to earn his ire like this? Zelda was always nothing but kind and patient with all her student’s parents!

 

“We should duet sometime.” Zelda meant it more as a piece of small talk, but was surprised to see Ganondorf’s hardened look of irritation and apathy turn inquisitive. Quickly, she added, “With my harp I mean. I’m sure Link would love that.”

 

“How do you know what he likes?” Ganondorf scoffed down at her, that look of disdain back on his face. His thick brows were drawn together in some sort of irritated scowl, “You’re his music teacher, nothing more-“

 

“Which is why I’m here.” She cut in quickly, forcing a proper and patient smile on her lips. Inwardly she wanted to wipe that horrid look off his face! What was his problem?! She hadn’t done anything to him! “I wanted to get to know you more, Mr. Dragmire.”

 

His hardened expression softened at her flattery. “Is that so.”

 

“Yes.” She tried not to grit her teeth, smiling stiffly now and clasping her hands together. “I do this with all my students- Link is not the only one just because of-“

 

Suddenly that scowl returned again, “Because of  _ what _ ?” Ganondorf snorted and narrowed his eyes at her, “Disability? Don’t pity him like that in my own home.”

 

Zelda wore an indignant look on her face, feeling quite cross now, “There’s nothing wrong with having disadvantages to overcome.” The Hylian woman took her thick golden spectacles off and held them in her hands, eyes narrowing as she tried to see. She barely could- blind as a bat her father always joked. “I wear glasses, Link is mute- there’s nothing wrong with either of those things.”

 

“I didn’t insinuate there was.” The temperamental Gerudo growled lowly, turning away from her. 

 

Zelda sighed and slipped her glasses on. Tempted to start proving her point, she wasn’t able to as tiny arms suddenly wrapped around her legs.Giggling a little, she bent down and greeted Link eagerly in sign language, “Greetings Link! It’s so nice to see you tonight.” She giggled more and added out-loud, “Your pig themed pajamas are quite nice.”

 

Ganondorf let out an irritated sigh, turning around to see that Link was still dressed in his pajamas. He decided to let it go. Only because Link looked cute in them. He wouldn’t dare admit it, but cute things were his biggest weakness.

 

Link giggled silently and held up his stuffed boar, handing it to his teacher before signing to her that the boar’s name was Fado.

 

Zelda pursed her lips in amusement and asked, “Did you name him after one of your classmates? I know who Fado is, Link.”

 

Ganondorf chuckled to himself quietly, turning to watch Link turn pink for a moment. The boy tried to insist it was a coincidence--sure it was.

 

Flustered, Link just insisted that it was a coincidence and started to drag his teacher off towards their small and cozy dining room. 

 

Zelda was shocked to find a large, ornate light fixture in the center of the room. It dimly lit a room covered with expensive rugs and a low table on the ground meant for many people to eat at.  _ Must be a Gerudo table.  _ Zelda mused to herself as she sat down. Gerudos usually ate in large dining rooms that could sit tons of people. She had read that they were big on community and conversation during meals. Zelda tried to imagine Ganondorf wanting to make small talk with anyone and almost laughed aloud. 

 

Link eagerly came over to sit at her side, signing rapidly at her. He was speaking so quickly it was hard to catch up! By the time Link had giving her a small break to collect her thoughts, Zelda had noticed his father was nowhere to be found.

 

Smiling awkwardly she asked the young boy, “What is your father making for dinner?”

 

Link scrunched his nose up and thought about it for a moment before starting to explain that his father was making some sort of vegetarian dish- a spicy stew with some vegetarian dumplings. Animatedly, the young Hylian explained that the dumplings would have mushrooms, cabbage and more inside them.

 

Zelda was fascinated. She had never taken Ganondorf to be a vegetarian… He didn’t seem like the type. Sure, it was stereotypical to assume a man of his size and stature wouldn’t want anything to do with vegetables…

 

Shaking her head, she tried to readjust her thoughts away from the grumpy Gerudo. 

 

“Link.” She heard his low, gruff voice call from inside the kitchen, “Come and help me set the table.”

 

Link pouted and stood up, looking miffed that he had to be torn away from his favorite teacher. Zelda tried to stifle a laugh, but ended up giggling as Link dragged himself into the kitchen to help with dinner. Where had all that sass come from!?

 

Having nothing to do at the moment, Zelda checked her phone quickly, sitting back as best as she could against the pillows that surrounded the table. She admired the beautiful and ornate rugs, her eyes drifting over to a tapestry depicting a wild boar. It amused her somewhat.

 

Things were different now in modern times than they were in times ago. The land was no longer ruled by Kings, Queens, or warlords- but instead modern, civilized people. The stories and times of the Triforce, magic, fairies, and curses were of times long since passed.

 

Zelda knew of the legend of the Triforce- of the various Zeldas who possessed its wisdom. There had not been another bearer of the wisdom in centuries. Courage and Power- neither had received bearers in centuries either. No one was sure how, but the Triforce just… Disappeared. The cycle of bearers just stopped.

 

Now in modern times, every so often, a young Hylian girl or boy would be named in honor of those bearers. That was how Zelda had gotten her name.

 

As she stared out the tapestry, she wondered if that legend, that history… Was how Ganondorf had gotten his name. It surprised her- one of the only male Gerudo born every 100 years and they had named him after a ruthless warlord? Who would do that to their child?

 

_ You’re being silly Zelda. All those things about the Triforce… That’s all just legend. None of it’s true. Just simple folk tales. _

 

None of it was true…. Right?

 

She jumped a bit when Link brought her a plate of food, sliding it in front of her and handing her some utensils. Blushing, she tried to insist that she could have gotten up to get her own food when Ganondorf walked in slowly. He put Link’s plate down before sitting down himself, his serious, no nonsense expression still covering his face.

 

“Well?” He questioned, staring Zelda down intensely. It made her shift in her seat, “Talk.”

 

An awkward grin flashed onto her face as Zelda started to nibble on a dumpling. Her voice came out soft and unsure, “Well, I wanted to come by to explain how proud I am of Link’s participation in my class.”

 

Already stuffing his face messily, Link beamed with pride. Once his hands were free, he started to explain that he loved going to music class and listening to people sing the songs they were working on.

 

Ganondorf felt a swell of pride as he thought of Link being a good student. He wanted what was best for his child after all, and what could be better than good grades?

Outwardly he wore a stoic expression and asked evenly, “What does Link do during your class?”

 

“He is our class conductor.” Zelda beamed, clasping her hands together. She felt so happy for Link! Zelda reached over into a small bag she had brought with her to their house, pulling out a rather odd looking baton. “I’ve been teaching him how to use the Wind Waker.”

 

Ganondorf snorted and rolled his eyes, “You still believe in all those fairy tales?”

 

Zelda felt color rise to her cheeks at his accusation. Fairy tales? Not all of it was… “It is what inspired modern batons, is it not?” She asked stiffly, glaring somewhat. He just smirked slightly in return.

 

“I thought teachers taught facts, not fairy tales.” He teased, his barbed words cutting at Zelda’s patience. 

 

Huffing slightly, she put the baton away and grumbled something underneath her breath that made him smirk wider. Link finished off his stew rather quickly and signed to his father all about what Zelda had taught him. Zelda watched and smiled a bit, pleased to see Link explaining note values and time signatures.

 

His father watched, leaning down and looking amused. Zelda chuckled to herself at the sight a man of around 8 feet tall bending all the way down to keep eye contact with with his child.

 

“So she teaches you advanced theory?” Large brows raised in a possibly mocking expression that was now directed Zelda’s way, “You might as well be giving him lessons. You seem rather dedicated to his music education.”

 

“Actually,” Zelda clipped, feeling miffed, “I do. During half of class I teach him how to play the piano while the children are in small groups with my assistant, Impa.”

 

Link beamed with pride.

 

Ganondorf mulled this over, running his fingers through his beard. He didn’t want to say this aloud, but he had to give Zelda credit for making Link feel like part of the class. She was going beyond in helping him feel… Normal. The fact that she could speak sign language was already shocking enough as it is. 

 

Instead of sounding grateful, he chided with a hard look, sneering slightly, “Good. I’m glad you’re  _ competent _ .”

 

Zelda was stunned by his words. That was his response?! That she was competent?! The cheery blonde started to fume at that. How rude! “ _ Why thank you _ .” She managed to spit out with gritted teeth. 

 

Zelda felt more frustrated as Ganondorf started to smirk more and gave an oily reply, “You’re welcome.”

 

Link wasn’t sure how to feel. He didn’t know why there was so much animosity between two people he cared about. He figured they were arguing over some adult thing, and decided to ignore them both for a bit as he ate. Once finished he got up to take his plate back into the kitchen, leaving the adults alone.

 

They would have continued trading snippy remarks, but Zelda didn’t feel up to it. She felt confused. Why did Ganondorf dislike her so much? She thought animosity between the Hylians and the Gerudo had died off over the centuries… It only made her more curious as to why he would adopt a Hylian child in the first place if he resented Hylians so much?

 

Taking a few deep breaths, Zelda attempted to make polite conversation, “I’m quite grateful to have Link in my class- he’s rather good at helping the other students understand how to count music.”

 

“I’m not surprised,” Zelda relaxed and looked away as a look of pride appeared on Ganondorf’s face, “Link is quite intelligent for his age.”

 

Zelda smiled stiffly and forced herself to make eye contact with Ganondorf. She felt tense and weary. “True. Which is why he will be conducting one of our songs at our next concert!”

 

Link ran back inside the dining room at the mention of the concert, excitement plastered all over his face. Without warning, his tiny hands flashed tons of signs explaining how eager he was to help with the concert and how much fun it would be to conduct all the other kids.

 

Ganondorf tried to keep up as best as he could with Link’s excitement but eventually asked him to slow down, looking rather amused. Zelda found it endearing—his severe demeanor seemed to soften immensely whenever Link was happy.

 

“So it’s next month.” He gathered, golden eyes peering down at Zelda. She tried to read his expression, but felt at a loss for words. Was he unhappy about having to attend? She couldn’t tell. “I’ll make sure I’m not busy.” Ganondorf smirked a little, tone dripping in an odd twist of sarcasm that made Zelda twitch, “I hope you picked out a decent song selection.”

 

“It has songs from many different cultures,” She narrowed her eyes, messing with the ends of her hair as she glared up at him, “Not just Hylian folk tunes. I want all my students to be exposed to many types of music.”

 

Link brightened and signed to Zelda and his father eagerly that he rather liked Zora songs.

 

Ganondorf just nodded, not taking his tense gaze off Zelda.

 

* * *

Once dinner was finished, Zelda helped clean up the dishes, hoping this would help remove the growing tension between themselves. With Ganondorf washing dishes and her drying, she started to pry a little about Link’s home life.

 

“I hope this isn’t rude,” she started out sheepishly, causing Ganondorf to give her a tense and narrow stare. Maybe this wasn’t the best way to phrase her question… “But when did you adopt Link?”

 

“I figured you would be the nosy type.” He answered back mockingly, a harsh glare shining down onto her head. Zelda sighed and tried to ignore his irritated gaze, “I adopted Link when he was four.”

 

Relaxing a little, Zelda adjusted her glasses as she bent over a dish and tried to scrub it dry, “Ah, I see. I’m a little surprised is all.”

 

Stiffening, she realized how rude that sounded aloud.  _ Why did I say that aloud?!  _ Color rose in her cheeks and she couldn’t help but give an embarrassed look. Said look only increased the angered glaring she got from the tall, intimidating, and much more influential Gerudo man at her side.   
  


“You can’t imagine a Gerudo adopting a child?” He spat slightly, disdain weighing down on his deep voice. “How narrow minded of you. I thought you  _ Hylians,”  _ the word stung Zelda like a bunch of needles, “were _ progressive. _ ”   
  
Zelda shivered and turned away, playing with the sides of her glasses and feeling uncomfortable. Her suspicions were correct- it seemed he had….  _ Issues,  _ with Hylians. Maybe that’s why he was taking out his resentment on her.   
  


There was no maybe, that’s exactly what he was doing.   
  
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Zelda mumbled quietly, staring down at the plate in her hand. 

 

Ganondorf scoffed at her words and sneered lowly. “Then you wouldn’t have  _ said it _ , eh?”   
  
She winced again and fell into a troubled silence, wishing she could have gone back and reconsidered her conversation starter. Now she had an imposing, seething Gerudo to deal with…   
  


Ganondorf snorted and grabbed a dry cloth to wipe his hands on. Once they were dry he pulled his hair back into a long, impressive pony tail.    
Zelda just stared, finding his thick, red hair fascinating. There was just so much of it-   
  
“Staring is rude you know.” Ganondorf snapped, pushing past her to go check up on Link. Once he was out of the room, the tension seemed to drop like sandbags onto the floor. Zelda sighed and clutched her head in her hands, feeling ashamed. That had been so rude…. Implying that… That…   
  
She sighed and tried to get things together.  _ It was an accident Zel, you didn’t mean to say something like that. _ __   
  


Yet it had slipped, and she couldn’t deny that she had always been shocked that someone so imposing and cold had adopted a child a jubilant as Link.    
  


Zelda had always wondered where Link’s sense of humor and playfulness had come from. When he had first been enrolled in her class she thought nothing of this till she had gazed down the enrollment list and saw his last name. Dragmire wasn’t a common name--it certainly wasn’t Hylian.   
  
Zelda ran her hands through her hair anxiously now, her stomach seizing up in sick anxiety. Great. She had such a wonderful student and now his father hated her. All because she had opened her mouth and said the obvious. Every parent had the right to be furious when they were questioned for why they had adopted their only child.

Zelda bit her lip, wracked with guilt.   
  
The Hylian woman took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down as a storm of anxiety pressed against her nerves. She hated this. Hated making dumb mistakes like this.   
  
Unaware in the living room, a cross Ganondorf checked up on Link who was playing with his toys again. Ganondorf relaxed slightly at the sight, bending down and motioning to the kitchen.   
  


“Link,” he asked quietly, an edge of resentment in his voice, “Can you go and see if your teacher had a… Good time tonight.”   
  
Link looked up curiously before narrowing his eyes. Ganondorf winced slightly, wishing Link was a little more dense. How could this kid read emotions so well?!    
  


Ganondorf tried to put on a grumpy stare, hoping it would mask his irritation.   
“ _ Please _ ,” He pressed, voice dripping in what he hoped came off as apathy, “She seems distracted.”   
  
Link sighed quietly and nodded, giving his father a quick hug before running off. Ganondorf smiled to himself a bit, sighing softly. He couldn’t pretend to be mad at Link- he was too cute.   
  
Link found his teacher clutching the kitchen counter, eyes glazed over, lips open in some form of horror. The young Hylian stopped and just stared, wondering to himself what was wrong. She looked scared… As if his Papa had said or done something mean…   
  


Sometimes Papa could be a bit too aggressive. He acted like Link didn’t notice how he glowered down at potential business partners and made them feel backed into a corner.    
Link had always noticed. He didn’t like it much.    
  
He bit his lip and came over, gently tugging at Zelda’s long, purple skirt. She jumped and shook herself, looking embarrassed, “Oh! I’m sorry Link- please forgive me I…” She swallowed thickly and sighed, “Got distracted.”   
  


Link nodded yet looked concerned. He raised his hands up and asked gingerly why she was upset.   
  
Zelda simply smiled and lied quite easily, “I’m just so emotional to see you happy in your home.”   
  


Link faked a smile and tried not to roll his eyes. Miss Harkinian was a terrible liar. He gestured for her to bend down. Zelda smiled goofily and did so, shocked when Link hugged her gently. No words were exchanged for a while till Link let her go with a sad look.   
  
_ I’m sorry. _   
  
Zelda stared at his hands. Sorry? Sorry for what?   
  
Link said nothing else and made his way over to the door frame, exiting slowly. Zelda followed, just wondering… If there was something else going on this house. What kind of tension laid inside this beautiful home.   
  
Zelda supposed… Looks and attitudes could be quite deceiving. She was a teacher- of course she knew that. And yet… Ganondorf Dragmire was an enigma. Powerful, charismatic to investors, loving towards his child.    
  


Towards her, though, he was cold and harsh, like the winds off Lake Hylia.    
  
She stood with feet planted in the living room, watching Link play with his toys. Watching Ganondorf try to ignore her for his son’s sake.   
  


A crushing silence filled them all.   


* * *

 


	2. Communication Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link wonders about the tension between his favorite teacher and his father, but comes to the conclusion that he isn’t sure how to help their tense relationship. Zelda teaches her class as normal but a certain CEO won’t stop invading her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the support so far! I'm shocked at how popular this story has gotten in a short amount of time, and I am grateful for everyone's kind words of support and all the Kudos. It's been helping me feel better about my anxiety and finals week.   
> Onto the story!

 

Breakfast felt awkward the next morning. Link frowned down at his pancakes as he poked them with his fork. Looking up slightly, he sighed. His father was invested in a newspaper yet again. To be honest, Link didn’t understand why - newspapers were so boring! No exciting adventures or colored pictures - just a bunch of black and white, tiny words that jumbled on and on together.

  
Ganondorf turned a page in the paper and continued reading, only pausing to take a drink of coffee. It made Link wrinkle his nose. Coffee smelt so bad.   
  
Growing impatient, Link tapped his fingers against the table and sighed. Just like every morning they were seated at the kitchen isle. His father had explained once before that the dining room was for extended family and guests, not every day use. Link thought that was dumb, but he wasn’t about to argue.   
  
Lips in a tight line, Link had had enough and knocked on the table. Ganondorf jumped slightly and put his paper down with a frown. 

 

“Yes?”    
  
Link started to sign to him, asking if he was okay. Ganondorf felt surprised by this. Was he okay? What would make Link believe that he wasn’t?   
  


“Of course Link.” He gave a slight nod and took a sip of coffee, staring into Link’s eyes. 

 

Link grinned sheepishly and nodded. He asked if his father would tell him if anything was wrong.   
  
Ganondorf sighed and ruffled Link’s hair affectionately, “Where’s this coming from?”   
  


Link shrugged, smile twitching slightly. He explained that his teacher seemed somewhat sad when she left last night.   
  
Ganondorf’s expression hardened. He sighed, sounding irritable, “Is that so? Shame. She was treated  _ hospitably _ .”   
  


Link resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just sighed, nodding.  _ I don’t like to see people sad.  _ He signed apprehensively. _   
_ _   
_ “I know.” His father looked away awkwardly before mumbling, “Finish breakfast up - we have to get going.”    
  


Link pouted and sighed, looking annoyed. He decided to comply - it wasn’t fun to be around Papa when he was grumpy.   
  
Ganondorf cleaned up their plates and sighed to himself. He felt tired. Very tired. The workplace was stressful--even Nabooru, as carefree as she was, was starting to feel the pressure building of having to help manage a company that wasn’t… Exactly on good terms with other businesses.    
Weariness set in his bones. His mind was plagued with troublesome thoughts - he tried to push them into the far corners of his mind and focus on what they could get done today.   
  


_ For Link. _

 

Yet despite that he felt seized with some sort of unexplainable terror. The harder he tried to push away worries about his leadership and his company, the worse those thoughts became. Constantly cycling, constantly bothering -   
  


Link’s door slamming shut seemed to snap him out of it.   
  
Ganondorf tried his hardest not to dwell on it further as he washed the dishes up and went to grab his briefcase. He gave Link a warning to be out and ready with his backpack in five minutes.    
Sitting down on the couch, the Gerudo simply stared off at a tapestry on the wall depicting, “The Legend.”   
  


He snorted internally. Such childish fairy tales - the Triforce didn’t exist. Magic may exist still, and he was good at it, but three goddesses blessing three random people with the gifts of courage, wisdom and power? How ridiculous.   
  
Teeth clenched, Ganondorf busied himself with braiding his hair back, trying not to think about work, ridiculous stories or Link’s ignorant music teacher -   
  


“Great.” He snarled slightly and tugged at his hair, feeling frustrated. That Zelda Harkinian- she was like every other Hylian. Overly concerned with appearance and “tactfulness.” Putting up a polite face only to criticize you internally. That’s how she had to be-- all Hylians were the same.    
  
Ganondorf had always resented Hylians. While the Gerudo and the Hylians had not fought one another for many centuries… An undercurrent of disdain seemed to run though the pointed ear people. Many Gerudo were still living in terrible circumstances. Ganondorf was one of the lucky ones.   
  
That seemed to happen to most male Gerudo. While they were still a rarity, that didn’t make him a King. Despite that… He felt obligated to help the other Gerudo. Even if his people no longer lived together in one place and were scattered across the land and the Great Sea… He had a self made duty to honor his heritage and help the less fortunate. He tensed up and glared at the opposite wall. What would a cushy Hylian like Miss Harkinian know about that? Hylians were always so spoiled.    
  
Who was she to question why he would adopt one of them as his child. That was his business.    
  
Link ran into the living room, his hair a mess. Ganondorf felt amused as he looked Link up and down to make sure he was wearing something presentable.    
  


“Let me brush your hair.” Ganondorf ordered, tying off his own untamable mane into a braid. Pushing his braid back, Ganondorf grabbed a nearby comb and ran it through Link’s hair.   
  
Link sighed silently but complied. He didn’t know why but he liked it when Papa brushed his hair. He had always wondered why his father had grown his hair out so long. Link wanted hair like that! Bushy, thick, long locks of red hair that went down past his waist- it looked so cool! Sadly Link’s hair was a bright blonde and only seemed to sprout out like weeds. Not cool at all.   
  
“There. Now let’s get going.” Ganondorf stood up and stretched slightly before grabbing his brief case and heading towards the door. Link trailed behind him and made sure to shut the light off as they left.   
  
The car ride to school wasn’t too bad. Still thinking about his father’s hair, he started to ask Ganondorf questions about Gerudo culture. Link beamed as Ganondorf’s golden eyes lit up. “Eh? What do you want to know specifically?”   
  
Link thought for a moment before asking why Ganondorf’s hair was so long.   
  
“Gerudo take pride in their hair,” Ganondorf answered simply, gripping the steering wheel and smiling a little more, “We consider it a sign of beauty I suppose. For me it is a sign of pride. Most of us know how to braid and weave hair.”    
  
Blue eyes lighting up, Link begged to have his hair braided. Ganondorf didn’t expect this and started laughing, making Link laugh too. His father rarely laughed these days, so to hear such a low, harsh laugh was great!   
  


“You’ll have to grow your hair out more,” he shook his head and grinned slightly, “Not much to work with right now.”   
  
_ There will be next week! Just you wait!  _ Link signed cheekily, eliciting more laughs from the severe Gerudo. 

  
A comfortable silence filled between the two for a bit. Ganondorf felt himself get lost in thought as his mind wandered back to Zelda. He resisted the urge to grimace as he wondered why he had never thought of enrolling Link in a Gerudo only school.   
  


His gaze hardened. He doubted a Hylian boy would be accepted at such a school. Gerudo schools couldn’t afford to lose more funding.   
  
Ganondorf pulled up to the curb of the school and turned to Link, feeling bemused. “Promise you won’t cause too much trouble?”   
  
Link pretended to take time considering this, smirking deviously. Ganondorf grinned and ruffled Link’s hair slightly, making the boy pout. Why brush his hair at all if it was going to get ruffled. Adults made no sense!   
  


“Alright then. Just make me proud and don’t cause property damage.”   
  
Link laughed silently and nodded before giving his father a hug and exiting the car.   
  
Ganondorf watched his son leave with a soft sigh. His thoughts felt lighter for a moment as he watched Link run inside.

 

Everything was going to be fine. Link was happy, he was happy…. Even if it was getting harder and harder to focus on his job. Ganondorf’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as he drove away from the school. His body tensed in a sickening sense of fear, which only made him more frustrated. Where was his motivation? Where was his passion for his job? Ganondorf felt like he was lacking either of those qualities as each month passed.   
  


_ It’s imperative to push through. No use wallowing in my worry. Not that I’m worried about anything. _

 

Ganondorf Dragmire didn’t worry, and he certainly didn’t obsess over thoughts of being worried either.   
  
  


* * *

 

Zelda stood before a set of risers and ticked names off a seating chart. Her students would be coming in any minute and she had to have the standing order perfect for the concert!   
  
Every year at Castle Town Elementary the choir was expected to perform an Autumn Celebration Concert: A concert meant to celebrate the beginnings of autumn and the new school year.    
  
Despite it being her third year here and her third Autumn Celebration Concert, she was nervous. It was such an important celebration to the community! She would hate to disappoint her students’ families.   
  


Despite that, what was more intimidating was that Link’s father would be there.   
  
That dinner…. Oh goddesses. It had left her feeling miserable when she left. Zelda’s mind couldn’t stop replaying her blunder over and over in her head. Had she really said that?! How could she have asked such a personal question, first of all, and furthermore-   
  
She clutched her hair and sighed loudly, trying to get her anxieties to die down. Focus Zelda - you have children to teach, you have a job to do.   
  
Zelda continued to look things over and check her lesson plan. Before she knew it, her class all piled inside the quaint choir room, chattering and looking excited.   
  


The strawberry blonde smiled as she saw Link walk in with his best friend, a red Zora boy named Sidon. Sidon was laughing loudly and looked rather excited about something. Link eagerly motioned to the other boy and signed to him.   
  


It seemed more and more students in the school were learning sign language via the mute Hylian boy’s constant gesturing and writing. It made Zelda happy to see so many students eager to communicate with Link instead of shun him away.   
  
“Miss Harkinian!” Sidon shouted with a laugh, making Zelda chuckle. “Link told me all about last night! Is it true that his Dad is super duper tall?!”   
  
“It’s true.” Zelda shook her head and tried not to sigh, forcing a smile. “Maybe even taller than a full grown Zora.”   
  
“No way!” Sidon gaped in shock, the shark tail on the back of his head wagging excitedly as he gave a sharp cackle. “That’s so  _ weird! _ ”   
  


Link pouted and shook his head, not agreeing with that statement. Sidon shared a sheepish grin and pulled Link over to sit with their other friend, a Rito girl named Medli.    
  


Medli giggled and waved, chatting eagerly with the other two as they sat down and beaming happily as they did.    
  


Zelda felt herself calm down at the sight. It was like last night hadn’t even happened. She could just focus on how pleasant the room felt. How no one was judging her simply for… For trying to care about her students.   
  
Clapping her hands together, Zelda sang out sweetly, “Come together children! Let’s get ready to warm up!”   
  


Some kids ignored her at first - a few cheered with excitement. Most shuffled to a spot on the risers as their teacher went to grab her hand held harp. Strumming it in the key of C, she started to sing a five note scale. The students echoed as best as they could. Some might not be able to sing exactly on pitch but it was the effort that counted!   
  
Beaming with joy, Zelda started them on a simple song as their next exercise. Unable to sing, Link focused on Zelda’s strumming. Her thin, graceful fingers made the motion of strumming and plucking look so easy. Link sighed to himself and wished he could play more than one instrument like her!   
  
Zelda beamed with joy and gestured for her students to sit down. She motioned for Link to stand and grab everyone’s folders so he could pass them out. They had gotten new music to learn for their concert--just a few extra songs to really make the event shine!   
  
“Now our theme this year is world peace!” Zelda sang happily, clasping her hands together. She always looked so warm and friendly, dressed in an overly large purple sweater and long skirt. Her cheerful demeanor and cushy outfits seemed to put the whole room at ease. 

 

“World peace?” a young Goron child questioned with a tilt of his head.   
  
Zelda nodded and smiled wider, “Indeed! We will be singing a traditional song from each culture! First we will sing a Hylian folk tune,” she held up her hand and gestured with her fingers, “after that in order will be the Zoras, Gorons, Ritos, Koroks, and lastly the Gerudo!”   
  
Link pouted at that. Why did his people have to go last?! The Gerudo had to have the best music ever because they were the best!   
  


Some of the other children seemed to agree and started to argue that their song should go first.   
  
Zelda sighed and clapped her hands, looking disappointed. “It’s not about who goes first- it’s about making sure everyone is included.”   
  


Her students still seemed a bit peeved. Zelda sighed and instructed them to pull out their first song. The Hylian woman took a seat at the piano. She motioned for Link to join her and turn pages as she started to play through their first song.    
  
It made Zelda feel nostalgic and at peace as she played.  _ Zelda’s Lullaby _ … She had heard it tons of times growing up. Her Father loved to sing it to her before bed each night. She smiled softly to herself at the fond memory, all thoughts of her tense interactions with Ganondorf fading away for now.   
  
Once the song came to an end she smiled sweetly and thanked Link for his help. The Hylian boy grinned toothily and nodded, taking his seat at the risers once more.   
  
“Alright children! Let’s start from the beginning!” Zelda hummed, standing up and striding over to her podium. Somedays it wasn’t easy - certain songs seemed to be harder for her students. Luckily they seemed to enjoy the simple tune and were starting to grasp it quite easily.    
  
Zelda hummed along, her thoughts meandering as she waited for Impa to arrive so she could split the class into small groups.    
  


She and Impa were close friends, having met at Hyrule University during their Freshman year. It was rare to meet a person from the Shiekah Tribe- there weren’t a lot of Shiekah left. At first the two had bonded with each other due to their majors, but after awhile Zelda found Impa’s strength and sage like advice comforting. The other woman had always seemed so strong and spiritual…. Zelda wished she could be that strong.    
  
She jumped slightly as the choir room door opened, revealing Impa. She gave a slightly awkward look, walking towards Zelda and whispering into her ear as Zelda conducted her students.   
  


“I had a little mishap before I got here,” Impa admitted quietly, a terse frown hanging on her lips, “My apologies.”   
  
Zelda’s eyes widened slightly as she whispered back in concern, “Mishap? What kind of mishap?”   
  
Impa looked away and shook her head, “It is nothing. I am here now- we can discuss this later if it is important.”    
  


Zelda sighed and frowned, “Impa, you know you’re going to make me anxious saying things like that.”   
  


“I know.” Her gaze hardened somewhat, making Zelda’s grows furrow, “I don’t want the children to hear.”   
  


“Alright…”   
  
Zelda’s stomach twisted and flipped with anxiety. What could have happened that had made Impa late to class? Was it something dangerous? She didn’t want her closest friend to be in trouble!    
The strawberry blonde drew the song to a close and passed her conducting baton over to Impa. She forced a sickeningly sweet smile on her face and chirped, “Alright! Miss Impa is going to take over now!”   
  
The students all cheered. They loved Miss Impa! She was goofy when she wasn’t acting so serious!   
  
Link hopped off the risers with a giddy grin, darting over to Zelda’s side as she beckoned him into her office. He bounced up and down with excitement. Piano lessons were always so much fun! 

  
Zelda admired his enthusiasm, yet her troublesome thoughts would not subside. Distantly her mind wriggled its way back to last night’s dinner, and regarded Ganondorf Dragmire with suspicion. Did he have something to do with Impa being late?   
  


That couldn’t be, could it? Sure things got tense between them and the night felt incredibly awkward but… He wasn’t evil. Just rude.   
  
Zelda shook her head and sighed, getting Link’s piano books out. Link regarded Zelda with concern and wondered what was on her mind. Cautiously the young boy started to sign to her and asked her what was wrong.   
  
Zelda put on a practiced smile and substituted the truth with a different truth, “I was just worried about Miss Impa - it’s so unusual for her to be late.”   
  
That made sense! Miss Impa did seem nervous when she came in! Link relaxed at that and nodded, watching with a smile as Zelda took his technique book out and propped it up. Without a second thought Link had his hands on the center of the white and black keys, waiting for further instruction.   
  
“Let’s work on, “The Busy Little Cuccos,” today,” Zelda instructed softly, sighing to herself as she tried to flush more anxious thoughts out of her mind.

  
Link simply nodded and started with his right hand first. His small fingers still had trouble grasping and playing at each key without staggering between them. This was normal though - he was only a beginner.   
  


Zelda waited patiently, her calm, blue eyes scanning the music. Her gaze moved swiftly between Link’s staggering key presses and the notes on the page.    
  


Once he was done playing through the song Link shook his right hand out. He was about to start playing with his left when Zelda stopped him.   
  
“You need to arch your fingers up a little more,” Zelda demonstrated by hovering her hands over the keys. “Think of your hands like a Skulltula! Your fingers are their legs, and your palms are its body!”    
  


Link chortled at her analogy but complied, arching his hands and curling his fingers a little. Zelda hummed in approval and had him play the melody of the song once more. She started to clap her hands softly to keep Link in time with the song.    
  
Link stuck his tongue out in concentration as he played through the simple tune once more. With his hand arched up properly like a Skulltula… It was so much easier to play! 

 

Zelda couldn’t help the swell of pride that built up in her chest at the sight of Link’s playing improving. It was heartwarming to see such a bright child be so passionate about their education.    
  
The lesson continued till class was almost at its end. Zelda felt caught up in the music, her anxieties melting away. Whatever thoughts she had had of Link’s father had completely disappeared by the time Link’s lesson was over.    
  


Zelda sighed regretfully as she brought the lesson to a close, smiling softly down at Link who was glowing with pride. “You did very well today, Link.” She got up with a knowing smile and went to grab a piece of taffy for Link to have. 

 

Link’s eyes sparkled as she came back with her secret candy dish. The young Hylian didn’t hesitate in stuffing his hand into the dish and grabbing an apple flavored piece of taffy.   
  


Zelda chuckled and placed the bowl down, checking the clock. “Eat it after lunch please.” She requested without looking down. 

 

Link gave an indignant look and sighed, stuffing the taffy into his pocket.   
  
As he did he remembered what he had talked about with his father that morning. Blue eyes lit up as Link’s head jerked up so he could stare into Zelda’s distracted gaze. The strawberry blonde jumped a bit when she noticed Link staring at her oddly.   
  


Her face flashed an awkward look she asked gently, “Yes, Link?”   
  
Link slowly started to sign to her, trying to find a way to ask what he was feeling.  _ Miss Harkinian…. Did you enjoy having dinner with my Dad and I last night?  
  
_

Zelda froze, staring with a blank look on her face. She hadn’t expected that. What kind of first grader was so… In tune with how people truly felt? It made her shiver slightly… Link wasn’t a telepath somehow, was he? Ganondorf hadn’t enchanted him to be so, had he? As someone who was gifted with magical abilities, she hadn’t sensed any sort of magic use coming from the young Hylian.    
  
Link frowned in concern, waving his hands at his teacher and hoping she would notice.   
  


Zelda snapped herself out of her distressed fog and put on a tense grin. “Why of course, Link! It was wonderful seeing your father care about you and your education!”   
  
Link chewed his lip and stared down at the same boring carpet that every room in this school had. Somehow his teacher’s answer sounded rather wooden… Unsure, he asked if she was certain that was how she felt.   
  
Zelda deflated somewhat, hugging her arms now as she continued to smile, “I’m very sure. Your father is…” She paused and tried to state tactfully, “Imposing, but he seems to mean well and I appreciate that.”   
  
Link furrowed his thick brows at that. Imposing? What did that mean? Before he could question further, the warning bell rang.   
  
Shakily Zelda relaxed while pushing Link out the door, bidding him farewell, “Nice lesson today Link! Have a great day!”   
  
Link gave a tiny nod and waved goodbye, rushing off to go and talk with Sidon and Medli. He frowned to himself as he caught up to his friends, who were in a heated discussion about fried Keese. Link just put on a grin and started talking about food-- he wondered how he was going to tell them what was on his mind. 

  
Once her students were out of the room, Zelda slumped back in her desk chair and heaved a loud sigh.   
  


Without hesitating Impa popped her head in and asked what was wrong. Her sudden appearance made the music teacher jump. She caught her glasses just as they fell off her face.    
  
Zelda beckoned her friend to take a seat beside her as she fiddled anxiously with her glasses. From what she could make out Impa pulled the piano bench over and took a seat, her ruby eyes hardening with concern.   
  
“What is wrong?”   
  
Zelda bit her lip and picked at a loose thread on her sweater, “I’m just worried about…” She shook her head and frowned in thought. Changing her mind she asked instead, “What happened to you? Tell me that first.”   
  
Impa gave a neutral frown and explained quietly, “I received word on the way here that some of my Shiekah sisters have fallen on hard times,” she paused and gripped her forearms tight, expression turning dour. “One is currently in the hospital as we speak.”   
  
A horrified expression crossed Zelda’s face. Without thinking she pulled Impa into a hug. “Oh Impa, I’m so sorry.”   
  
Impa simply sighed and hugged Zelda back. It didn’t show, but she felt a little better getting it off her chest. “Thank you, Zelda.”   
  


Zelda released her and gave a worried look, “If there’s anything I can do to help please let me know- I don’t want you to have to go through this alone.”   
  


Impa gave a small smile, pushing a beaded strand of hair back as she nodded, “I shall.”    
Silence filled the air between them for a moment before Impa reminded Zelda gently, “What has been on your mind?”   
  
Zelda frowned once more and sighed, her lashes fanning across her cheeks as she contemplated how to address this. What should she say? That she was paranoid? She had been acting ridiculous - tons of people didn’t like one another for whatever reason. Not everyone you’d meet in your life would always like you.   
  
“That dinner last night.” She admitted quietly, tugging at the edge of her sweater sleeve and avoiding eye contact, “I thought it’d be a “great” idea to ask Mr. Dragmire why he had adopted Link, considering….” she trailed off awkwardly.   
  


“That he’s a Gerudo and his son is Hylian?” Impa finished bluntly, making Zelda shrink in her seat.   
  


“Yes…”   
  
Impa sighed softly and gave a slightly amused look, “I’ll admit, that wasn’t very tactful.”   
  


“ _ I know. _ ” Zelda groaned, taking her glasses off and pressing the heel of her palms against her eyelids with a long sigh. “I don’t know why I said something that sounded so  _ ignorant _ .”

 

Impa smiled slightly at Zelda’s dramatics and gave her a pat on the back, making the strawberry blonde give her a pout. “There there. I do not blame you for prying about the obvious.” She frowned slightly. “It is very odd for Ganondorf to have done that.”

 

“But isn’t it rude to just assume that…. That…” Zelda trailed off awkwardly and ran her fingers through her hair, “Every Gerudo hates Hylians?”   
  
Impa thought for a moment and gave a half shrug. “I guess so. Was he acting rude to you before you asked about the adoption?”   
  
Zelda wrinkled her nose and nodded firmly, looking miffed, “Yes. Not very hospitable at all.”   
  


“Strange.” Impa shook her head and frowned tersely, “That must mean he’s assuming things about you as well.” The Shiekah woman sat back on the bench and relaxed somewhat. “It’s only natural to question other people’s motives, Zelda.”   
  
“I guess so…” That still didn’t feel right. Stereotypes were harmful. Zelda wasn’t that blind - she could see how certain students treated each other based on if they were the same race or not.   
Zelda let it go for now and sat back in her chair, trying to imitate Impa’s relaxed behavior. There wasn’t anything she could do right now. Whatever Ganondorf’s perception of her was at the moment couldn’t be changed by her moping in her office.   
  
The Hylian woman took a deep breath and exhaled deeply. She was her own person, no matter what anyone thought of her. Besides, a classroom of little kids liked her - she could be content with that for now.   
  



	3. Bottling Up and Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf finds himself becoming increasingly distracted with thoughts of his dinner with Zelda. His closest friend, Nabooru, continues to worry over his lack of focus. Link tries having fun with Sidon and his older sister Mipha after school, but is plagued with anxiety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be a heavy info dump on how Modern Hyrule works. Sorry about that!   
> Quick thing to note: Modern Hyrule in this AU is a big mashup of geography, town names, races and concepts that are found in all Zelda games. This AU treats all timelines as viable if that makes sense? Sorry if that is confusing.  
> Anyways, onto the chapter!

It was apparent to any scholar in Hyrule’s history that what once was a Kingdom, now was a Republic. The Republic of modern Hyrule, however, still somewhat resembled the Kingdoms spoken of and passed down in traditions, folk tales and legends. Castle Town, its capital, had been the land’s capital for many centuries. Town was only kept in its name out of a sense of tradition.

 

Spread throughout the land were railways that saw heavy use despite the invention of automobiles. Only the wealthy could afford cars--many Hyruleans still rode on horseback to get to Death Mountain or Gerudo Desert. 

 

Far past the edges of Hyrule laid the Great Sea and many islands far off in the Horizon. Forest Haven, Dragon Roost Island, and many other places could only be accessible by boat. Modern Hylian, Gerudo, and other languages made writings from the past harder and harder to read. 

  
An unspoken truth seemed to be that the biggest change in modern times were the beliefs of the people.   
  
The stories of the three goddesses, Nayru, Din, and Farore, were merely whispers of the past trying to cling on to the skepticism of the present. Names such as Hylia and Demise were rarely spoken of--religious scholars being an exception. Most Hylians believed in their goddesses out of a sense of tradition.   
  


The Triforce was only a legend now. It no longer existed in this realm. 

 

Despite that, magic was used by all Hyruleans. Potion making, dark, light, and elemental magic found casual and scholarly use. Many Hyruleans used their magic to help around the house or to eliminate unnecessary stress. 

 

Ganondorf had always taken pride in his gifts with magic. Not many Hyruleans could say they were gifted at sorcery--even fewer could say they were a child prodigy in magic. 

  
His mothers had wasted no time instructing him in the ways of sorcery as he grew up. They were the owners of Gerudo Town’s only potion shop; Magic Hags’ Potion Shop. Brewing chu jelly potions to cure various ails, among other other services, the twin elders had inspired Ganondorf to make his own business.   
  
It was his goal to escape the harsh winds and the empty promises of the desert. To lead a way for his people to find prosperity as the Hylians had.    
  
Moving to Castle Town and starting his own magic based communication company hadn’t been easy. Not only were their other instant communications businesses to compete with, but inherent prejudices as well. Many Hylians were preferring electronic communication over magic. Cell phones were a status symbol in Hyrule. Electronic communication wasn’t cheap though, and many traditionalists and the less fortunate were able to afford his company’s main products: Crystal balls, charms, and Gossip Stones.    
  
Years and years of hard work had lead him to his next biggest challenge: Keeping the business influential and staying on good terms with potential partners.

  
Ganondorf found it hard to focus as he sat at the long rosewood table in his conference room, listening to a potential business partner to continue to talk at him. It had been hard to focus lately due to stress--not that he would admit it. Link seemed happy, his family was happier living with one foot in the desert and the other in Castle Town….    
  


So why didn’t he feel as good like they did? Why did thing seem so frustrating and stressful all the time? The lack of motivation he was feeling, coupled with Link’s teacher asking him such a personal question...   
  
Ganondorf heaved a frustrated sigh, his angered gaze flickering over towards tall windows that gave a view of the city skyline. Vaguely he wondered how Link was doing while he pretended to be interested in what this obnoxious presenter had to say. He hoped Link was alright--he’d raise Hell if he wasn’t.  
  


Sitting beside him, his closest friend and COO of his company, Nabooru, took notes. Writing them down with a soft sigh, she glanced over at Ganondorf, who seemed out of it.    
  


Nabooru wasn’t sure if the increase in business meetings as of late or the plans for a new line of crystal balls were the root of the problem. Ganondorf’s motivation and focus seemed to be going downhill.    
  
Nabooru pursed her lips in thought as she tried to focus on keeping her notes neat. Ganondorf was overly obsessed with detail and order… What was stressing him out then? Had something happened at home with Link? She searched her brain for a moment before narrowing her eyes. Ganondorf had told her about Link’s music teacher insisting she come over and have dinner with him. Had the dinner not gone as well as it should have?   
  


_ That can’t be possible. He would have let me know if something was up.  _   
  
The Gerudo’s gaze trailed over to Ganondorf, who was glaring out the window. He really was lost in thought.   
  
Gently Nabooru kicked at his leg, causing her boss to jump and glare down at her and hiss,“ _ What? _ ”    
  


Nabooru rolled her eyes as Ganondorf scanning the room to see his other employees listening to the presentation. Of course they were--they wouldn’t be caught dead daydreaming in front of a CEO.   
  


Nabooru did her best to try and lighten the mood, joking playfully, “What’s with the daydreaming?”

  
The ever serious CEO gave a comical frown, denying immediately, “I wasn’t daydreaming. I merely looked away for one moment.” Without missing a beat he snarked, “Unlike  _ you _ , who should be jotting down notes.”   
  
Nabooru rolled her eyes and snarked back, “It doesn’t look good on a corporate executive to be staring out a window and daydreaming while trying to score a business deal.”   
  


A pause was held between them for a moment as Ganondorf’s fiery glare continued to burn… Till it melted into an amused look. A ghost of a smirk crossed his face and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.   
  


The Gerudo woman relaxed a bit and grinned back. There was that twisted sense of humor she was use to seeing. This was the Ganondorf she knew, not the other one who seemed to have poisoned him with anxiety.   
  
The presenter’s babbling caught Ganondorf’s attention. Sighing sharply, he turned his gaze back to the presentation and rumbled quietly, “What do you think? Investing in….  _ Cell phones _ .” The word rolled off his tongue in disdain. He would never understand why anyone would buy one--charms and crystal balls were much more stylish and practical. Cell phones broke easily and became outdated every two years or so. Crystal balls could be kept in houses for decades.   
  
Nabooru seemed to agree by the look in her eyes, but of course she wouldn’t voice that out loud.   
“I think it would help expand the company’s appeal among Hylians.”   
  
Ganondorf sighed and nodded, still displeased. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a spark of irritation igniting inside him. Distantly he still wondered why Hylians seemed so eager to abandon their magical roots.    
  
Nabooru jotted a few more notes down as she waited for Ganondorf to respond. She crossed and uncrossed her legs anxiously. She wished the meeting could be over. She searched her memory, trying to pinpoint when exactly Ganondorf’s focus had started to deteriorate. Nabooru tapped her nails against the table as she thought before coming to a conclusion: It must have been a week or two into the new school year. That was when Ganondorf had gotten news that Link’s music teacher had wanted to meet him.    
  


Nabooru felt suspicious, gazing down at her notes with a tense frown. Had something happened then? If so, why hadn’t Ganondorf told her this morning? She scowled at the thought. As Link’s godmother she had a right to be concerned about him!    
  
Hurt welled up inside her heart for a moment. She and Ganondorf were close… What did he have to hide from her?   
  
Leaning in so only Nabooru could hear, Ganondorf ordered her quietly, “Sign him on then. You seem to think it’s such a good idea--I have no reason to doubt your judgement.”   
  
Nabooru relaxed hearing that, giving a small nod. Wordlessly she got a contract written up. It proved to be a good distraction.    
  


She watched out of the corner of her eye as Ganondorf turned his attention to the speaker and began to ask more questions and engage in some sort of agreement. The speaker relaxed, eagerly answering questions and trying to remain calm. It was hard not to be intimidated by someone as domineering and surly as Ganondorf.   
  
Nabooru was overjoyed as the meeting drew to a close. Leaping out of her seat, she passed her notes onto one of the secretaries before walking out the door with Ganondorf. The two made their way wordlessly towards the elevator down the hall. Inside the elevator they went over the business deal in detail, their conversation continuing as they exited and entered Ganondorf’s office.   
  
The office was a sleek, spacious affair with very little decoration. Gerudo themed furniture and rugs dotted the room. A large desk sat at the center, with a small kitchen isle in the left corner. To complete the room, glass doors lead out onto a balcony that held a beautiful view of the city below. 

 

Despite the lack of decoration everywhere else, the desk was covered in pictures of Link along with other framed photos of their tribe. One could tell immediately that Ganondorf cared for his friends and family.    
  
Nabooru gripped a disposable coffee cup, sipping it occasionally as she stood out on the balcony in Ganondorf’s office. She couldn’t wait any longer-- she had to ask what was wrong.   
  


She smirked to herself. She wouldn’t take any excuses he would try and give. She’d get the real answer out of him, that was for sure. 

  
Ganondorf eventually joined her, worrying the end of his braid with one hand while sipping out of a coffee mug with the other. Nabooru smiled warmly as she noticed the mug had been one Link had decorated at a Gerudo summer camp. Nabooru remembered Ganondorf bringing the mug to work and glaring at anyone who even snickered at the sight of such a manly man holding a childish looking mug.    
  


That didn’t stop everyone from cracking jokes and finding it cute behind his back.   
  
“How’s Link been lately?” Nabooru asked, hoping to get some information while also cheering Ganondorf up.   
  
Perking up a bit, Ganondorf smiled to himself and leaned against the balcony railing as he answered, “Link’s been doing fine. Getting good marks in school, staying out of trouble.” He took a sip of his coffee and sighed happily, feeling at peace somewhat. “It seems Castle Town Elementary wasn’t such a bad choice for him. The students there...” His hand tensed up on the balcony railing, “Well as far as I can tell they want to make him feel included.”   
  
Nabooru relaxed hearing that, smiling softly, “That’s good to hear. Link’s too good of a kid to get picked on.”   
  


Ganondorf narrowed his eyes and snarled at the thought of his son being bullied, “Trust me, Nabs, I would run that school into the ground if anyone so much as made Link cry.”   
  
Nabooru laughed and shook her head, teasing playfully, “I always figured you’d be the overprotective type when it came to having children of your own.” She sipped her coffee slowly, giving the angered Gerudo a sneaky look, “Knew that a long time ago when I would rope you into playing house as kids.”   
  
Ganondorf snorted and rolled his eyes at that, smirking a little. “Even after I used your dolls for target practice?”   
  
Nabooru laughed and smacked Ganondorf on the shoulder, shaking her head. “I was bitter about that for months! Don’t joke about that!”   
  
That seemed to help clear the air between them. Ganondorf started cracking up at the memory, his demeanor changing. Nabooru was fascinated by this--despite his serious and detailed oriented personality, jokes and memories would easily calm Ganondorf down.    
  


Whenever he was in a good mood he was tons of fun to be around.   
  
Giving a knowing look, Nabooru teased softly, “Want me to break out the knock knock jokes? I’ve been learning some good ones just for you~”   
  
Ganondorf narrowed his eyes and looked away, trying not to smile. He hated to admit it, but terrible jokes and puns always made him laugh.    
  


“I think I’ll be fine, Nabs.” He shook a hand dismissively, feeling a lot lighter than before. Leave it to Nabooru to find ways to take his mind off of things.   
  
The two went back to drinking their coffee in silence for a moment while they mulled the events of today over. Ganondorf checked his watch and held back a sigh. Of course that meeting had taken time away from home. He hoped Link was alright. Surely he had to be-- Governor Dorephan’s children were well behaved, well bred Zoras. They both could speak sign language and Link seemed to care for them greatly.    
  
Nabooru noticed lines of worry crossing Ganondorf’s face. Immediately her thoughts trailed back to her concern from earlier. That dinner-- Ganondorf hadn’t brought it up at all. If it had went well, why wouldn’t he have said something?   
  
“Gan?” She spoke up, placing her cup down on the railing. The Gerudo looked down at her with a quizative glance. Nabooru worried her lip for a moment and tapped her nails on the railing before sighing quietly, “What… what happened at that dinner with Link’s teacher?”    
  
Ganondorf tensed up at the mention of that  _ dinner. _ What an insult to not only his time, but his parenting abilities! That insufferable, untimely Hylian woman-!   
“It was infuriating!” He exploded, bitterness poisoning his veins. He clutched his coffee mug tight, putting it down before he could shatter it in a rage.   
  
Nabooru tensed up and remained silent for a moment as Ganondorf continued, “That woman had the gall to ask me  _ why _ I had decided to adopt Link!” He started to pace angrily in a circle while tugging at his beard as he ranted, “What business is it of her’s why I adopted Link!  _ He is my son-! _ ”   
  
Nabooru winced and tried to speak up, “Gan-”   
  
“It doesn’t matter if he and I are not of the same race-!”   
  
“ _ Gan.” _ _   
_ _   
_ Ganondorf paused mid tug on his braid, which was now in his hands. He snarled at Nabooru, baring his fangs and looking ready to snap at her next.   
Nabooru regarded her friend calmly before taking his hand in both of hers. She pet the back of it, willing him to calm down, “ _ Calm down. _ ”    
  
Ganondorf snarled in the back of his throat, seething still. Calm down?! He had every right to want to tear Link’s teacher limb from limb with his bare hands!   
Nabooru resisted the urge to sigh, reaching up to stroke Ganondorf’s hair back, “Deep breaths-- come on, you know it’ll make you feel better.”   
  
Rolling his eyes, Ganondorf barely made the effort to do some deep breathing. Nabooru was too good at getting him to be reasonable. He both loved and hated that about her.   
  
After a few calming breaths, Ganondorf merely scowled down at Nabooru. Keeping her ground, his COO asked patiently, “Why do you think she was insinuating something negative with her question?”   
  
“How couldn’t she be?!” Ganondorf snarled again, tensing up in Nabooru’s grasp, “You know I’ve gotten stares for having a Hylian child!”   
Nabooru winced slightly yet kept eye contact, “I know but Link loves his teacher, yeah?” She gave a concerned frown, “If she was being rude to you due to being a Gerudo, he would have noticed.”   
  
Ganondorf’s argument died in his throat. He regarded Nabooru with a scowl, feeling frustrated. He hated to admit it, but she had a point. Link wasn’t stupid.   
His son had dealt with prejudice before.   
  
Nabooru relaxed as Ganondorf slowly started to calm down. Still angry, he asked her tensely, “Why would she ask such a probing question, Nabs?! I barely know the woman!”   
  
“She was trying to get to know you.” Nabooru rolled her eyes and asked, “How did she act around you? Was she acting prideful and rude the whole time?”   
“She arrived late!” Ganondorf argued stubbornly. Nabooru snorted, resisting the urge to call him pig headed. She knew that would only set Ganondorf off again.   
  
“Did she have a reason for arriving late?”   
  
Ganondorf paused, realizing where this was going. He grumbled dejectedly in response, “She said the trains were running late.”   
Nabooru groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, “Seriously!? That’s what set you off?! She gave a perfectly good reason for being late! You know that!”   
Ganondorf started to feel somewhat sheepish as Nabooru glared up at him.   
  
Putting on a stony look, he tried to grumble, “I know she apologized, but still, how could a teacher be late to a meeting she insisted to have-”   
“You’re being ridiculous Gan,” Nabooru shook her head and sighed, letting Ganondorf’s hand go, “If she apologized then clearly she hasn’t meant any ill will towards you.”

  
“She good have done it on purpose…” He tried one last time to argue before Nabooru shot him down with a look that could kill.   
  
“You’re being paranoid!” She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It was hard to keep calm though! She knew Ganondorf had a temper but to just assume the worst in someone was ridiculous, even for someone as cynical as him.   
  
Ganondorf flared up at Nabooru’s words till he realized, deep down, she had a point. Maybe he was… Being overly defensive. He had been assuming the worst in Link’s teacher after realizing she was Hylian…   
  
Gritting his teeth, Ganondorf refused to acknowledge those thoughts. He had every reason to assume the worst in Hylians. Past experiences had taught him that.    
  
Calming down, Nabooru picked her cup back up and glanced at her watch quickly. Pursing her lips, she spoke up. “It’s getting late…”   
  
Ganondorf nodded, picking his mug back up and walking past Nabooru towards the kitchen isle, “It is.”    
Running his mug underneath the sink faucet, he added quietly, “Perhaps… I was being judgemental.”   
  
Nabooru gripped her cup and replied tentatively, “Perhaps.”   
Ganondorf winced and growled in frustration, “Either way, thank you for… Letting me vent. I feel somewhat better about this nonsense.”   
  
Nabooru’s lips curled up slightly in a smile. There it was. Somehow she had gotten through to him.    
It was a miracle.    
  
Nabooru threw her disposable cup away and came up behind her friend, watching him carefully wash his prized mug. She smiled to herself, thoughts drifting back to Link and his teacher.   
She hoped things would smooth out between his teacher and Ganondorf. Maybe… They could make a connection. Ganondorf would benefit from having more friends. It might give him some motivation back.    
  
Only time would tell.

 

* * *

  
  


Link swung his legs back and forth as he sat on the bus next to Sidon, who was chattering away about what they would do together after school. Link smiled and nodded as Sidon insisted they get Mipha to make them some hush puppies.   
The blonde laughed and shook his head, signing cheekily.   
_ But that’s just bread! _ _   
_ _   
_ “No way! I bet they’re made with actual puppies!” Sidon barked with a snaggle tooth grin, the shark tail on the back of his head wagging back and forth. Link watched his tail with interest and just giggled, arguing that they weren’t. At least, that wasn’t how Papa made them!   
  
“Why else would they taste so good?!” Sidon cackled and playfully pushed Link, who pushed back. He loved getting to hang out with Sidon!    
  
The two had become close friends since Link enrolled in school the end of last year. Sidon was asked to make friends with Link due to his extroverted personality. He didn’t mind at all--Hylians were so fascinating. They looked so small and breakable, yet they could do amazing things like fish, use spears, swordsmanship! Sidon loved reading about them in comic books, so when Link was introduced to their class he couldn’t help but be overjoyed. A real Hylian in the flesh!

 

It had been hard at first. The whole day that Link was there, he hadn’t said a word. Sidon had been worried it was because Link didn’t like having him as a tour guide. When he had gotten the nerve after Link’s first day of school to ask what was wrong, Link began making strange gestures at him with his hands. Luckily his older sister, Mipha, knew what was happening. Link was mute and could only speak in sign language.    
  
All summer Sidon was determined to learn as much sign language as he could, just for Link. His sister seemed eager at the chance to teach her brother something new, and to see Link be able to make a friend much more easily.   
Learning sign language made Sidon feel good, although he wasn’t sure why.    
  
Either way, Link appreciated it. The two seemed inseparable now. Because of their bond, (and Ganondorf’s busy work week,) Link stayed over at Sidon’s house every other day after school in the heart of Castle Town.   
  
The school bus came to a halt, the doors opening with a soft creak--barely audible over the loud chatter of elementary schoolers. Link climbed over Sidon to look out the window at their stop.  
  
Sidon lived in one of the nicest suburbs in the city. A Zora only suburb, Great Bay was a beautiful, sprawling lakeside. Partially tropical, most of it was reminiscent of the Zora Domain and the Zora River.   
Link was entranced by the alien looking architecture of each house. The weathered blue stones that decorated the outside of houses that twisted and swirled skywards. The refined silver stairs leading up to each glittering house--

  
“Come on Link!” Sidon laughed, grabbing Link’s hand and dragging him off the bus and towards his house, “Let’s go play!”

Link jumped and wore a sheepish grin as Sidon dragged him out of the bus and towards his house, which was the biggest house on the block. This didn’t surprise anyone at school--Sidon’s father, Governor Dorephan, was an influential politician. Link wasn’t sure what politicians or governors were, but he assumed they were pretty important. At least that’s what Sidon said!

 

The two raced up the stairs of the house, pushing through the door and running right into Mipha. The tall Zora teen jumped and dug her heels into the floor, trying not to fall over.   
“Sidon, Link.” She sighed and gave a disapproving frown for one moment… Before smiling and leaning down to tickle them both, “Watch where you are going please~”   
  
Link and Sidon both laughed, squirming and trying to pull away from her tricky fingers.   
“Miphhhaaa!” Sidon shrieked happily, managing to pull Link away with him. Link had tears in his eyes from laughing too hard.   
Mipha chuckled softly and shook her head, padding over to the kitchen counter, “I made you both hush puppies. Just as you asked.”    
  
Sidon scrambled over to the counter. Hopping up on a step stool, he snatched the plate of hush puppies and ran past Link towards the main cavern of the household. Link just watched, amused. He wondered where Sidon was going! The young Zora took nimble strokes as he held the plate up with one hand and swam up the waterfall, disappearing down another hallway in the house.   
  
Mipha sighed, leading Link towards the pool in the main cavern. Link found it easy to get lost in their home due to its size and how Zoras lived.    
The entryway, made of stone, lead out from the door into a hallway with the kitchen and dining room leading towards the left, while the living room, bathrooms and bedrooms lead to the right. Luckily for non-Zora guests, a stairway lead up from the main cavern and its pool to the other rooms in the house.   
  
Link sat down on the soft stone at the edge of the cavern, the lukewarm temperatures of its water lapping at his feet. Mipha came over with his life jacket and a pair of floaties. Ganondorf had demanded that if Link was going to stay over at their house that he wear them so he wouldn’t drown. Link had found the notion of drowning ridiculous. Mipha was teaching him how to swim already!    
The stubborn Hylian boy had remembered arguing that life jackets and floaties weren’t cool. Sidon and Mipha didn’t have to wear them, so why should he!   
Time-out after  _ that _ conversation hadn’t been fun at all!   
  
Pouting at the sight of the life jacket, Link begrudgingly held his arms up and let Mipha slip it on. Mipha’s lips turned upwards at the sight dramatic scowl on Link’s face. It was clear the boy didn’t like having his ego bruised.   
Clicking her tongue, she chuckled and shook her head, finishing the clasps and admiring her work as Link sat stonily in his lifejacket. He barely held his arms up as she slipped the floaties on.   
  
“You won’t have to wear them forever Link.” she teased, slipping into the water. Her eyes scanned the cavern in search of her brother. Where had he gone….   
Link signed to her furiously that it sure felt like forever.   
  
Shaking her head, the zora slipped underneath the water and swam up the waterfall in search of Sidon. Where had he gone with those snacks?!    
  
Link watched her and was about to sigh when Sidon popped up out of a shadow in the water a few feet away with a laugh, “There! Now we’ll have all these hush puppies to ourselves!” 

Screaming silently in surprise, it didn’t take much for Link to fall face first into the water. Sidon yelped at the sight and put the plate down on the rocky shore. Sidon pushed Link back up out of the water and began to fret, checking him over for any bruises.    
  
“Are you okay?!” He questioned anxiously, his golden gaze searching Link over. Link’s eyes swam about as he nodded, feeling disoriented.   
Sidon bit his lip at Link’s signs and mumbled, “I didn’t mean to scare you!”   
  
Link gave a weak smile and sighed softly, his thoughts wandering off to what had been bothering him all day at school; Miss Harkinian’s weird behavior.    
The Hylian boy frowned sadly. What was she hiding? Did she hate his Dad?   
Link felt himself tear up at that. Why would anyone hate his Papa? He was nice even if he had trouble smiling sometimes….   
  
Sidon fell silent as he watched Link’s face twist up with sadness. What was wrong?! That fall into the water must have really hurt him!    
_ Nice job Sidon! You broke the Hylian! You knew he was fragile! _ _   
_ _   
_ Sidon gnashed his fangs anxiously and pulled Link into a hug, nuzzling the top of his head. Link wasted no time in hugging Sidon back as he sniffled.   
  
Mipha swam back to the edge of the waterfall, ready to call Sidon out for confusing her. Catching herself mid sentence, she stared out at the crying boys in concern. What had happened in the five minutes she was gone?!   
  
She slinked back behind the corner, watching them to see what they would do.   
  
“Link I’m sorry!” Sidon continued to fret, pulling Link back so he could gaze into the Hylian’s watery eyes. Link sniffled and nodded, worrying his lip as he gazed into Sidon’s golden eyes.    
Shakily he started to sign to his friend, sniffling as his tears trailed down his cheeks.   
_ Miss Harkinian…. She doesn’t like my Dad…. _

 

Sidon’s expression hardened. How dare someone make Link cry! Why would someone hate Link’s Dad?! Link was always talking about how kind and loving he was!   
The young Zora trusted Link’s judgement. If Link trusted someone, that was all he needed to trust someone too.   
  
Sidon let Link go, gazing deeply into his eyes with a worried frown.   
“I’m sorry Link.” he mumbled, worrying the shark tail on the back of his head with his hands. His head fins drooped in sadness.

Mulling over his thoughts he came to a conclusion, “So long as you love your Dad, who cares what Miss Harkinian thinks! She doesn’t know him as well as you do!”   
  
Link nodded, shaking anxiously. Mipha couldn’t take the sight of his misery much longer and dived off the water fall, swimming quietly through the pool and popping up next to her brother.   
Sidon jumped once he smelt his sister close by and turned to her as he bobbed anxiously up and down in the water. Mipha sighed and pet his tail back. This seemed to calm the young Zora down.   
“Can I speak with Link for a moment?” She whispered softly to her brother, who gave quick nod. Without a word Sidon slipped down under the iridescent waters of the pool--darting down till he was merely a shadow at the bottom.   
  
Link gazed into Mipha’s worried eyes as he hugged himself. Wordlessly she pulled Link into a hug and pet his hair back. The young Hylian latched onto her and cried openly against her neck.

Mipha treaded the waters as she held Link close, her heart feeling heavy. This poor child… The dinner must not have went as well as expected…    
  
Once Link started to calm down, Mipha asked apprehensively, pulling Link before her and gazing into his eyes “What happened between the two to make you so upset?”   
Link’s hands cut through the air as he animatedly explained what had happened. How Miss Harkinian had arrived late which caused his father to think she didn’t take their meeting seriously. How he had tried to ask his teacher what had happened, why she had looked so anxious… But she would always avoid his questions.   
  
Mipha frowned in empathy, just as Sidon’s shark fin cut through the surface. Link smiled a little at the sight. Sniffling, he rubbed at his tear stained cheeks and tried to stop sobbing. Crying made him feel bad. It made him feel weak. He had never seen his Papa cry before, so why should he?

 

Sidon floated over to his sister, poking his head up out of the water and sharing a concerned look.    
“Did you tell your Father that you were worried about Miss Harkinian?” Mipha asked, her claws gripping into the stone of the shore ridge. 

 

Link shook his head and sniffled more. The Hylian boy explained he had asked his father if he was alright, to which his father had immediately brushed his concerns away so they could get out the door in time to go to school.    
  
Sidon pouted, declaring heatedly, “That wasn’t nice of him at all!”

  
Mipha sighed and gently pushed Sidon back into the water with one hand as she spoke to Link, “Why don’t we talk to him about it when he comes to pick you up?” She gave Link a comforting smile gently booped his nose with her claw, making him giggle.   
Link started to relax, grateful for Mipha’s comforting words. Not only was she a good healer, she was a good listener too. 

 

Link appreciated that--people had a hard time listening to you when you didn’t have a voice. 

 

Sidon popped back up out of the water, pouting and nagging at his sister for pushing him underwater. Mipha chuckled softly and shook her head.    
“Why don’t you help Link with his swimming while I go start dinner?”   
Sidon’s gaze lit up with excitement as he turned to Link who gave a playful shrug before slipping into the water. Sidon tried to hold back a laugh and failed as Link’s life vest and floaties swallowed him up above the water while the rest of his body slipped down. Link squirmed, kicking his legs and pouting up at the ceiling as he tried to swim. Floaties were still lame! 

 

After awhile Link began to get use to the floaties as Sidon started to show him more swimming techniques. The pair worked on Link’s backstroke till Mipha called them back into the kitchen for dinner.   
  
Mipha set the table, checking the time on the clock above the kitchen entry way. 6:15. She prayed their father would be home soon…   
A heavy knock at her door caused the girl to jump in surprise. Oh! Link’s father was here already! Wiping her hands, Mipha ran to the front door as she called out to her brother, “Sidon, could you get Link ready to leave?”   
  
“On it!” Sidon yelled back as he pulled Link up with him to shore. Sidon gave a sad smile and mumbled softly, “I wish you didn’t have to go so soon.”    
Link agreed with that statement, replying with a sad frown. Link felt nervous. What if his Papa wasn’t in a good mood right now, or was too busy on the phone to listen to what he had to say….

As soon as Link was up on the shore he tore his floaties off, anxiety rolling off himself in waves.   
Sidon worried his lip and wished he could do something, anything to make Link feel better. 

 

Mipha opened the door, coming face to face with Ganondorf…. Well as best as she could. Zoras may be tall, yet somehow Ganondorf was taller than the average Zora.

“Greetings.” She gave a shy wave and let him inside.    
Ganondorf gave a curt nod in response. Not one for small talk, the Gerudo male cut right to the chase. “Is Link alright?

 

Mipha worried her lip for a moment before nodding, causing Ganondorf to raise a brow. Feeling a bit nervous, she answered quickly, “He had a good day school it’s just… I believe he has something he wants to talk to you about.”   
  
“Whatever could that be?” Ganondorf started to ask, an edge to his voice. 

Mipha winced and eyed the living room entry way quickly. She relaxed somewhat when she saw her brother leading Link over to them.   
“I think it would be best if he explained what is wrong.” Mipha whispered shyly, worrying the tail on the back of her head with her hands. Ganondorf narrowed his eyes for a moment before exhaling sharply. Wordlessly he reached into his pocket and pulled his wallet out. Mipha gasped in surprise as Ganondorf handed her a purple rupee.   
  
“Mr. Dragmire you don’t have to-” She started to protest, clutching the rupee tight in her webbed fingers. She loved watching Link--she didn’t need payment for watching him each week. Somehow it didn’t feel right accepting money for enjoying Link’s company….

 

Ganondorf chuckled a bit, holding a hand up to interrupt Mipha quickly, “Nonsense. Please, take it as a token of gratitude.”   
  
Mipha smiled slightly and relaxed. It seemed Ganondorf wasn’t mad at her for Link’s sadness. Her stomach twisted in concern as images of Link’s tear stained face flashed in her mind. She prayed that Link would be honest and tell his father what was bothering him.   
  
Mipha couldn’t dwell on her concern for much longer as Link ran into the entryway and tackled his father’s legs into a hug. Ganondorf smiled slightly and bend down to pick Link up, not at all bothered by the fact his son was still damp. Link beamed with joy and hugged his father tight, nuzzling against his braided hair and looking at peace. Mipha tried her hardest not to coo at the sight. She couldn’t help it! The pair made for a very cute family.   
  
Sidon soon followed and hugged his sister’s arm. The four exchanged their goodbyes before Ganondorf grabbed Link’s things and left the tranquil Zora home.    
Mipha glanced out the window as Ganondorf’s car pulled out of the driveway. Sighing lightly, she examined the purple rupee in her hands.    
  
All she could do was hope that Link would be honest, like he always was.  
  


“Come,” She gestured for Sidon to follow her into the dining room, placing the rupee down on the counter without a second thought. “Let’s eat.”   
  
Sidon followed his sister. He was lost in thought, also hoping everything would be alright.

 


	4. Scarlet Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link tells his father what’s wrong on the ride home from Sidon’s house. Guilty for his son’s anxiety, Ganondorf promises to take Link to the park the following afternoon where they run into a familiar face.

 

Link gazed out the window of the car, clutching his backpack tight in his chubby arms. He wasn’t sure how to feel or what to say. He wanted to tell his Papa what was wrong… But what if he had had a long day at work? He hadn’t talked much since they had left Mipha and Sidon’s house.   
  
Ganondorf glanced over at Link periodically in concern. Something was wrong--this wasn’t the chipper child he knew. It wasn’t often that his son looked so anxious…

 

Eventually Ganondorf found the words to ask, “Did school go well?”   
  
Link gave a wordless nod, face twisting up sadly. Ganondorf felt alarmed as he watched tears trail down Link’s face. As quick as he could he pulled into the nearest parking lot and parked. Turning to Link, his brows were set in worry.   
  
“What’s wrong?” Ganondorf put his hands on Link’s shoulders and gazed directly into his eyes, making the boy wince and look away.   
Tensing up, Ganondorf let Link go and repeated the question as soft as possible, in the hopes Link would see that he wasn’t angry, just concerned. 

 

Link’s lip quivered and before Ganondorf knew it he had a sobbing child shaking with tears in his arms. Guilt and panic cut through Ganondorf’s composure as he held Link close. What on Earth was going on?!

 

Ganondorf pet Link’s hair back while humming the Minuet of the Forest, hoping it would calm him down. Link immediately latched onto his braid and held it close, nuzzling his cheek against it. The young Hylian continued to sniffle and hiccup silently with tears, focusing on his father’s humming, attempting to calm down. He wasn’t sure why he was afraid to tell his father what was wrong. Link just knew he couldn’t bare the thought of seeing Ganondorf become angered and bitter at the memory of a dinner that had gone downhill.    
  
“Link,” Ganondorf whispered gently, rubbing Link’s back and frowning with concern, “You have to tell me what’s wrong. I don’t want to read your mind.”   
  
Link rubbed at his eyes, sniffling and nodding. Shakily he held up his hands and started to explain how worried he had been ever since that night.   
  
_ Miss Harkinian was worried after last night but she wouldn’t tell me why! No matter how much I asked!  _ Link’s face twisted up as large, limpid tears trailed down his cheeks.  _ Do you hate her Papa? _ __   
__   
Ganondorf froze, guilt and shame twisting up his insides. He couldn’t move, everything feeling numb as he watched his beloved son cry. He knew Link was attached to his teacher… But enough that he would cry over her? Ganondorf hadn’t expected that.

 

Ganondorf stroked his beard anxiously as his brows furrowed. Quickly he tried to think up an explanation for how he felt. Should he lie? Link wouldn’t notice if he crafted a well made lie. That wasn’t being honest to Link though. Getting caught in a lie would be worse than making a lie at all. 

He tensed up as Link sniffled, gazing up at Ganondorf with watery blue eyes. Those same eyes that he swore could twist his arm and get him to do whatever Link wanted.   
He couldn’t help it. Link’s happiness was sacred.

 

Sighing softly, Ganondorf bent over more to meet Link at eye level, wincing from how cramped it felt to bend down that low. Taking out some tissues from the glove box, he started to gently wipe Link’s tears away and help clean up his face.   
“Ssshh, let’s get it together first.” He whispered comfortingly, rubbing Link’s back and trying to calm him down. Link whimpered and nodded, letting Ganondorf’s braid go so he could hug his arm instead once the tissues were disposed.   
  
Link’s sobs quieted down as he gazed up at Ganondorf expectantly, his lip trembling. His father winced and looked away. He wasn’t sure how to respond.    
He didn’t like Zelda much, although after his talk with Nabooru…. He wasn’t sure he’d say he hated her. It confused him--why was Link so attached to his music teacher? He was sure other teachers treated him well, so why this one? Why her, with her awkward nature, short stature, those glasses-   
  
Link tugged at his suit sleeve to get his attention, causing Ganondorf to jump slightly. He gave Link a tired look before groaning and running his hands through his hair, “Look, Link…” The Gerudo paused awkwardly for a moment before continuing with a weary frown, “I don’t  _ hate _ Miss Harkinian. I was just frustrated with her due to a…. Topic that was brought up.”   
  
Link furrowed his brows in confusion and tilted his head, waiting for a more detailed answer. Ganondorf mentally swore at that look. Link just had to be intuitive didn’t he?    
  
The young Hylian tried asking what topic they had talked about when Ganondorf shook his head and muttered, “It doesn’t matter.” Straightening his tie to give his hands something to do, he furrowed his brows more and spoke up, “Link, I’m sorry for causing you such distress. It was never my intention to make you worry.” A half grin flickered across his lips as he added, “Worrying is my job, not yours.”    
  


Link smiled a bit at that, slowly starting to feel at ease. His Papa didn’t hate his favorite teacher… They had just had a fight. Maybe if they saw each other again they would apologize--just how his Papa had to him!   
  
Ganondorf relaxed a bit. Link looked ready to forgive him, it helped considering he didn’t hold grudges. Despite that he still felt ashamed. Seeing Link cry like that, the disappointment all over his face… That was inexcusable. Link deserved to have a carefree life, not one filled with anxiety and doubt. 

 

Worrying his beard for a moment, Ganondorf tried to smile as he asked Link softly, “How about I make it up to you by taking you to the park tomorrow. Would you like that?”   
  
Link’s face brightened at the prospect of spending some quality time together at the park. That sounded like so much fun! Stars in his eyes, Link nodded eagerly and tackled Ganondorf in a hug, causing the Gerudo’s eyes to widen before he started laughing. He was grateful Link was willing to forgive him. 

 

He didn’t know what he would do if Link had rejected his apology.   
  


“Come, let’s go home and start dinner.” Gently he placed Link back in his seat, who buckled his seat belt in response and wore a cheeky grin. Amused, Ganondorf shook his head and restarted the car. “I know you have some homework you should have perfected for class tomorrow.” 

 

Link made a face and stuck his tongue out at the prospect of working on homework. All the apologies in the world wouldn’t make up for how awful homework was! 

 

Thoughts of homework started to disappear as Link daydreamed how a Saturday at the park would go. He couldn’t wait to bring his sand castle gear with him so he could build the best castle ever in the sandbox! And of course he’d get his Papa to push him way way high up on the swing set! Maybe if he was lucky he could get the swing to go up over the pole! 

 

Link bounced in his seat as he trembled with excitement, causing Ganondorf to sigh with relief. Excellent. Not only would Link feel better after a visit to the park tomorrow, he would be distracted from any thoughts of how Zelda felt or what she had really thought of their awkward encounter. 

  
Good. He didn’t want to waste anymore thoughts on that socially inept woman. He had much more important matters to worry over. 

 

* * *

 

 

Zelda pushed wisps of hair back as she charged forward, continue to jog an autumn breeze kicked up around her. Determined to keep going, she switched to a different song on her phone as her feet pounded against the pavement. There was nothing like a good jog to get the blood pumping and the body moving! 

 

Her talk with Impa yesterday had given her a new perspective. Maybe, despite her constant efforts to try and treat everyone she met with respect… She did have some internal biases. Cultural or not, she had assumed that Ganondorf would have expected the worse in her, and her question over his decision to adopt hadn’t been…  _ Appropriate. _ Coupled with being late, she wasn’t surprised that he had been furious at her for most of the evening. 

 

Tossing and turning in bed, she remembered deciding that it would be most appropriate to make an apology. Without a second thought she had stayed up late, detailing her thoughts in a letter. Now all that was left was to decide if it would be best to send it to him or to deliver it in person.

 

Zelda shuddered at the thought of Ganondorf glowering down at her while he read her letter. He had every right to still be mad at her! Zelda couldn’t be sure if she wanted to face that anger head on--she could only imagine how scary the CEO would be if he flew into a rage.

 

Zelda frowned and heaved a sigh as she jogged faster. She knew that would be detrimental to her already low self esteem. How she would recover from something like that… She wasn’t sure. 

Despite that she had to be courageous! She had to do what was right and apologize right away! That’s why she had brought the letter with her--she’d drop it off at the post office in no time! 

 

The Hylian woman grinned to herself as she pushed her glasses up, mood restored. She had a plan, and she was sticking to it! Nothing was going to ruin her mood on such a lovely Saturday!

  
Quickly, Zelda made her way down the winding sidewalk. A colorful looking playground came into view, the sound of children’s laughter ringing in the air. She continued to jog until the sight of long, unruly red hair caught her eye. She gasped in surprise Ganondorf came into view. He was sitting on a park bench, legs crossed as he read a hardcover novel. 

Quickly she looked out at the playground and couldn’t help but smile slightly to herself. There she saw Link, laughing as he slid down the slide. The young Hylian ran out into the wood chips, followed by a Goron and two Gerudo girls. It looked like Link could make friends with just about anybody. 

 

Zelda gazed down at the letter in her hands, sighing quietly as she wondered what to do. She could continue to jog pass--she doubted Ganondorf would notice. But if the letter was right in her hands already and he was just sitting there…

 

Worrying her lip, Zelda sighed and ran up to the park bench, knowing what she had to do. Anxious, she forced a smile on and called out as sweetly as possible, “Long time no see, Ganondorf!”   
  
The tall and imposing Gerudo stiffened a bit, slowly turning his head to see who was calling his name. Zelda flinched as he stared her down, large brows furrowing irritably. Frowning, he put a bookmark in his book before shutting it and placing it down on the bench.   
“Greetings.” He greeted stiffly, eyeing Zelda up and down. Zelda flushed and held the letter behind her back as she stopped by his side, making sure he could still watch Link if he needed to. 

 

“Fancy seeing you here.” She tried to lighten the mood with an inviting smile. She prayed to Hylia it would help.   
  
Ganondorf stared her down, unamused. He said nothing as they merely stared one another down. Zelda scrambled for something else to look at. Her eyes were drawn to his attire. Suit pants, dress shoes, dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up--she realized she had never seen him in anything but his work clothes.    
She had to admit… He looked rather good in a suit. T-that was despite the point! She hadn’t stopped to just check him out!   
  
Coughing awkwardly, Zelda put on a lopsided grin and looked around for anything else that could work as a conversation starter. His book cover caught her eye, making her eyes widen slightly. Not waiting for an invitation, she sat down next to him and asked eagerly, “You enjoy the  _ Scarlet Heart  _ series as well?”   
  
Ganondorf’s gaze flickered down to the novel down at his side for a moment. Cheeks heating up slightly, he put on a practiced glare before grumbling lowly, “Can a man not enjoy romance novels as well?”   
  
Zelda deflated somewhat, sighing in reply, “I suppose not. I was merely inquiring…”

 

Ganondorf hummed before smirking. He decided to have some fun before interrogating the nosy little music teacher further.    
  


“So you enjoy saucy romance novels as well~?” He leaned in with a smirk, glowering down at Zelda. He felt delighted as she squirmed, her pale cheeks instantly heating up.   
  
“T-they’re not saucy!” She argued defensively, hugging her arms and fidgeting somewhat. She poked at the freckles covering her arms and mumbled, “It has a gripping story line I enjoy greatly….”

 

“I see.” Ganondorf snickered a bit, taking pleasure in watching Zelda get flustered. The strawberry blonde gave him a cross look, causing his smirk to widen, “So you enjoyed the twenty page makeout scene in chapter 10? I sure did~”   
  
Zelda squawked indignantly, her face turning beat red as she argued that it wasn’t her  _ favorite  _ part in the book. E-even if it was it held tons of plot relevance and symbolism!

 

“I-I’m surprised you’re not busy.” She stammered, wishing her blush would fade as she hastily switched subjects. S-so what if those novels were a little…  _ Suggestive. _ They were rather popular, proving a little spiciness now and again in stories wasn’t so bad! 

 

“I’m allowed half a day off occasionally.” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Zelda watched, still amazed by how such a messy mane of fiery red hair could look so stylish. She had to admit, it was fascinating to meet the only male Gerudo in her lifetime in the flesh. His skin was as bronze and eyes just as golden as any other Gerudo’s. He towered everybody in a ten mile radius. Not to mention he was rather muscular--as if he could wield swords with ease. She couldn’t help but find his looks and build rather hypnotic-   
  
“Again with the starring.” He huffed quietly, causing Zelda to blush and laugh sheepishly, “Sorry, sorry.” She bit her lip for a moment before deciding to try once again to get to know Ganondorf more. She knew a little bit about him--most people did. He was famous throughout all of Hyrule after all.

  
“So you’re from the desert?” She decided to ask, leaning back in her seat. She gazed out at the playground and watched fondly as Link played tag with the other children. 

 

Ganondorf gazed out at the playground as well and smiled as he watched Link laugh before darting off underneath a slide. He gave a small nod, glancing over at Zelda, “Indeed. All Gerudo are.” He felt nostalgic as he explained, “Gerudo Town is a fine village. My family lives there still--occasionally visiting Castle Town when they have the chance” 

 

“Oh good.” Zelda smiled and turned to Ganondorf, hugging one leg close as the other dangled off the park bench, “It’s reassuring to know that Link is able to see the rest of his family.”   
  
Ganondorf seemed pleased by her response and hummed lowly, his baritone voice sending vibrations through Zelda’s chest. She touched her lavender athletic top while gazing down at her triforce necklace, listening fondly.    
“I make sure Link gets to see his extended family as much as our schedules allow it.” He snorted and rolled his eyes, “My Mothers seem to want to spoil him every chance they get.”   
  
Zelda laughed at that and shook her head, teasing gently, “Link’s a good child- a little spoiling won’t hurt him~”

 

Ganondorf looked amused at her words and argued back with a small smile, “It may sour some of his sweetness. He’s too good of a kid to get spoiled.”

 

“True, true.” Zelda sighed with relief, glad to be getting somewhere with him. She wasn’t sure how the rest of the year was going to go if Ganondorf hated her guts. Parent teacher conferences would have been a nightmare for sure! 

 

Ganondorf eyed Zelda curiously now as he asked, “What are you doing out here, dressed like that?”   
  
Zelda blushed a bit and played with her hair, which was tied up in a bun, “Just started my Saturday jog. It helps clear my mind and gives me motivation to work on grades.”

“I see. You grade often?” Ganondorf snorted somewhat. What kind of work did an elementary school music teacher have to worry about? It couldn’t be as much work as his own.

 

Zelda felt put off by his attitude yet nodded, wrapping a strand of her hair around her finger. Pursing her lips, she answered apprehensively, “Certainly. Link has extra theory packets to give him something to do when I am busy with the rest of the large group.”

 

“Good. I appreciate that you aren’t going easy on him.” Ganondorf sighed irritably at the thought of Link’s other teachers attempting to coddle him. Some form of acceptance that was, treating his son as if he was powerless just because he was mute.   
  
“Link is a very bright child. He needs challenge.” Zelda insisted, smiling proudly at the memory of Links various accomplishments since he had enrolled last year. She was proud of the progress he was making, and didn’t want to diminish it the slightest!   
  


Idly Zelda’s hands wandered back to the letter she had placed behind her when sitting down. Sighing quietly, she knew there was only one thing to do; She had to give the letter to him in person. It was the only way now. Besides, he would probably answer more favorably with an apology in person….

 

“Ganondorf?” Zelda spoke up after a moment of silence, causing the Gerudo to raise a bushy brow in response.    
  
“Yes?” He asked, narrowing his eyes somewhat. What was the nosy Hylian up to now?

 

Zelda gave a nervous smile, pulling the letter out and handing it over to Ganondorf. She bit her lip as he eyed it curiously before giving her a questioning look. Immediately she started to babble, “W-well I was on my way to the post office to send this to you when I saw you here and I realized-!”   
  
Ganondorf raised a hand up to silence her, levitating the letter up and opening it with one tear through the use of his magic. Zelda watched in awe, distracted by his control and precision. All those tales about his magic were true--he was rather powerful! The letter floated out of its envelope, making its way to his hands. Glancing down, he read it over rather quickly. Zelda watched with anticipation, praying he would find her apology somewhat decent. She had tried very hard to make it sound genuine…. She didn’t want to be on the outs with him forever. Even if he was rather rude…

 

A few moments later Ganondorf peered down at her, his expression unreadable. Zelda tried to smile back up at him, attempting to speak up, “I really am sorry for asking such a personal question--it wasn’t my intention pry or make you uncomfortable! I wrongfully thought it would make for a good conversation starter and-!”   
  
“Alright.” He placed the letter down, regarding her emotionlessly, “I understand.”   
  
Zelda stopped babbling and stared for a moment before asking sheepishly, “You do?”   
  
“Yes.” Ganondorf looked down at her, head upturned rather snidely as he sneered, “So your social skills are poor,  _ I understand _ .” 

 

Zelda stared for a moment before bristling and looking offended, “Excuse me?! I just apologized to you! That’s hardly unsociable!” 

 

Ganondorf smirked before throwing his head back and giving a harsh laugh, “No, but arriving late to that dinner was!”

 

Zelda fumed slightly, crossing her arms as she grit her teeth and hissed, “I apologized for that as well! The trains were running late--there was nothing I could have done about that!”   
  
“You could have called.” Ganondorf scoffed, taking a moment to roll his eyes slowly at her. Zelda glared and was about to protest when they heard some children screaming, causing them both to turn their heads in alarm.

 

Zelda gasped in concern as she saw Link sitting on the ground, clutching his leg and crying. Oh the poor dear! He must have fallen and gotten all scraped up!

 

The Hylian woman’s heartbeat raced as she watched Ganondorf stand up, anxious concern lacing his features. He made a move to rush over to Link when Zelda darted up and beat him to it. Zelda gently scooped Link up and started to carry him over to the bench. She pet his hair back, wiping away a few of his tears as she urged him gently, “Hold on! I can fix you right up, alright?”   
  
Link sniffled and nodded, whimpering silently as he looked down at his knee. Blood was gushing out and staining his hands, making him feel sick. Blood was so sticky and gross!   
  
Zelda sat him down on the bench, gently pushing Link’s hands away before placing her hands over his wound. Humming softly she started to heal his scrape, causing Link’s eyes to widen. He knew his teacher had magic abilities, but he never knew she could heal people!

 

Ganondorf watched in surprise as Zelda slowly healed Link’s wound. He hadn’t expected that. Sure, the various Zeldas throughout history had magical abilities, but that didn’t mean this one did as well. Not that he believed in Hyrule’s royal history or reincarnation. 

He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for egging her on earlier. She really did care about Link, dropping everything just to run over and help him. Zelda wasn’t obligated to heal one of her students…. It spoke a lot about her character that she would do anything for his son.

 

Zelda relaxed as the magic seemed to be working. She smiled down lovingly at Link, who beamed back up at her. He glanced up at his father and grinned, reaching out for Ganondorf’s hand. Ganondorf obliged as he offered his son a small, reassuring smile. Gently he reached out with his other hand to stroke Link’s hair back as Zelda’s magic continued to work on his wound.   
  
“Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere else?” He asked softly, tension melting away as Link nodded to the first question and shook his head at the second.

 

Zelda let out a sigh of relief as she took her hands away, marveling at Link’s scrape. It had gone from bleeding out to being healed over with new skin. It almost looked as good as new.

 

Ganondorf noticed and gazed down at the scrape for a moment, lost in thought. Something seemed to spark inside him, making him feel much lighter than before as his eyes trailed over to Zelda. She was holding Link’s other hand and smiling down at him with compassion in her light blue eyes. Suddenly his resentment and suspicion towards the Hylian woman seemed to disappear, those feelings being replaced with gratitude and uncertainty instead. He wasn’t sure what those feelings meant or if he enjoyed them… Either way he couldn’t justify being rude towards her. She had healed his son, which wasn’t an easy feat. Zelda had to be worn out from such strong magic use, that was for sure. 

 

Finding his words, Ganondorf spoke up softly, “Thank you Zelda. I…. Appreciate your compassion.”   
  
Zelda jumped a bit, turning to gaze up at Ganondorf in surprise. Was the ever critical CEO of Crystal Clear Communications thanking her?!

 

“N-no problem!” She stammered, still caught completely off guard.    
Ganondorf relaxed a bit and sighed softly, rubbing at the back of his neck, “I suppose a proper apology is in order. It seems my anger over your uncontrolled tardiness was…  _ Misplaced. _ ”

 

Zelda resisted the urge to snort at his lackluster apology and simply nodded, a lopsided grin working its way onto her lips, “Apology accepted. Thank you.”   
  
Link gazed between the two in shock. They were getting along?! Why?! Because he had scraped his knee up?! No way! 

 

Link watched them both curiously, his mind whirling. His father offered to give Zelda a ride home, to which she declined, explaining that her jog wasn’t over yet.    
The two seemed to be getting along--for what reason, Link couldn’t be sure. Either way he couldn’t help but smile and wonder… If there was some way to get them to become something more~ Link wouldn’t mind of his Papa wanted to hang out with his favorite teacher more often! Besides, his Papa seemed so lonely most of the time! He could do well with having more friends than just Aunt Nabooru!

  
Link continued to scheme as Zelda smiled, standing up as she bid a conflicted Ganondorf farewell, “Have fun with the rest of your Saturday morning. Make sure to spoil Link with some ice cream before you leave~”   
  
“We’ll see.” Ganondorf chuckled a bit, his hand absentmindedly reaching towards the letter at his side. His thumb stroked the parchment reassuringly as the shapely blonde ran off in the opposite direction. Whatever he thought of Zelda now could wait he supposed. Link would appreciate some ice cream after some time on the swing set.

 

Zelda’s feet pounded against the pavement as she ran till she was merely a speck in the distance. 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always, comments are welcomed and greatly appreciated! :)


	5. Master Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link looks to Sidon and Medli for advice in his scheme to get Zelda and Ganondorf to become close friends. Zelda and Ganondorf bump into each other at the store after school.

Monday mornings were sleepy and quiet as usual. Link found the laid back nature of a Monday morning coloring session to be relaxing. Their teacher, Mrs. Marie, always put an importance on making her students’ days joyful--especially in the early morning.

 

Link gave a yawn and rubbed his eye sleepily, scribbling away at his paper. He had decided to draw something to make his Papa happy! And what better than to draw a big boar surrounded by little piglets! He knew just how much his papa loved pigs!

 

Medli hummed as she glanced over at Link’s drawing, giggling to herself at the sight. The biggest boar had a fiery red mane and large tusks, while the piglets all around it wore green and looked suspiciously like her best friend.    
  


Leaning in the Rito girl asked playfully, “Are you drawing your Dad~?”   
  
Link flushed and shook his head quickly, giving Medli a sheepish look. She didn’t have to tell the whole world his drawing was for his Dad! He didn’t want the other kids teasing him for being so clingy!    
  
Sidon grinned and leaned across the table, shoving his drawing into Medli’s face so that her beak pressed into the paper. She squawked at him to back the paper up before looking it over. It seemed Sidon had drawn himself charging into battle with Link on his back. Medli chuckled at the sight and shook her head, looking amused.

 

“When will you draw something cute and peaceful. You’re always drawing battles!”   
  
“Not always! Sometimes I just draw people charging into battles from the sidelines and not in the fray!” Sidon barked defensively, flushing and pouting. Link laughed at the sight. It was hard to take the shark like Zora seriously when he pouted! It looked so silly!

 

Link watched as Medli and Sidon argued over the value of drawing battle scenes, his thoughts wandering to his father and Miss Harkinian. He still couldn’t believe the two seemed to be getting along. Had apologizing really been that easy? He wasn’t sure. 

 

Since that Saturday Link had been trying to formulate a plan to get the two to meet up once again. Yet how? Ganondorf was always so busy, and Link rarely saw Zelda outside of school… 

  
Blue eyes brightened as the scheming Hylian wondered if his friends could help answer his predicament. 

 

Link rubbed his hands together deviously before knocking at the table to get Medli and Sidon’s attention. 

 

Medli and Sidon glanced over at Link curiously, asking what was up. Smirking, Link started to sign that he wanted some ideas for his master plan.

 

“That sounds tricky!” Sidon admitted, face scrunching up in thought. He dug his claws into the table as he tried to think of a solution to Link’s plan. Eventually his face brightened as he barked happily, “You should kidnap Miss Harkinian and take her to your house! That would solve everything!”   
  
“No it wouldn’t!” Medli looked horrified by his plan and squawked, “Link can’t kidnap Miss Harkinian! Everyone would notice!”   
  
“Well then what should he do?!” Sidon pouted fiercely, looking annoyed, “If your idea is so great then let us hear it Medli!”   
  
“Fine!” Medli looked flustered. She didn’t really have a plan or an idea.    
  


Link gave Medli an expectant look, waiting for her answer. The Rito girl flushed more, her golden gaze trailing about as she looked for some inspiration. Suddenly her eyes widened as she thought back on Sidon’s idea. 

 

“I’ve got it!” She quacked happily, causing Sidon and Link’s faces to brighten.   
  
“And?!” Sidon bounced up and down eagerly in his seat.

 

“Link should invite her over to another dinner!” Medli cheered, looking pleased with herself. Link seemed to love the idea as he couldn’t help but grin. That was it! He’d make the invitation right now and just say it was from his Papa! Miss Harkinian couldn’t turn it down then!   
  
Putting his pig drawing aside, Link took another sheet of paper and started working on making the invitation. He decorated the invite in flowers and hearts, hoping that would convince his teacher and make her want to hang out with his father more. Link couldn’t help but beam at the thought of Zelda coming over often and making Ganondorf feel much less lonely. That would be amazing!

 

Medli watched as Link scribbled down some information in rather messy looking Hylian. She felt glad that things were going well for Link. How awesome would that be if Miss Harkinian became his mother some day! She had to have a crush on Link’s father somehow!

 

Link continued to work on his card, finishing it before Mrs. Marie started classes for the day. All morning he couldn’t wait to go and give Zelda her invitation. This plan was foolproof! Nothing could go wrong! 

 

Morning classes passed along quickly and before Link knew it he had his invitation in his hands as their classroom line marched down to the choir room. When they arrived Sidon flashed Link a thumbs up, giving the Hylian boy the courage he needed to approach his teacher.

 

Zelda was at the front of the room reorganizing her music when Link came up to her. She gave a kind smile and bent down to meet him at eye level, asking curiously, “What's that you've got there, Link?”

 

Link gave a goofy grin as he handed Zelda the invitation, eagerly watching her read it.

 

Zelda glanced it over, chuckling from how cute the homemade card looked. Link put quite a bit of effort drawing all those hearts and flowers. How charming! Her stomach twisted anxiously when she read over the information. Another dinner? Had her apology been that effective that Ganondorf wanted her over once more? How odd…. But Link didn't seem like the type to lie. This had to be true.

 

Putting the card on her podium, she asked sweetly as she could manage, “A dinner this Friday? Are you sure?”

 

Link nodded eagerly and explained his father wanted to make amends. Apparently his grilled mushroom skewers were to die for.

 

Zelda chuckled and nodded, yet couldn't help but be anxious. Facing down Ganondorf over dinner and attempting not to make things awkward sounded challenging… 

 

Yet that impressionable and excited smile Link was giving her--she couldn't disappoint him. The idea of Link crying or being disappointed filled her heart with dread! 

 

Zelda bit her lip for a moment before nodding and putting on a practiced smile, “Of course Link, I’ll make sure to be there.”

 

Link cheered silently with joy and hugged Zelda’s legs, making her smile to herself. Another dinner… Maybe second time was the charm? 

 

* * *

 

Ganondorf hummed lightly to himself as he pushed he and Link’s grocery cart down the produce aisle. Link sat in the cart seat, kicking his legs as he held a box of his favorite cereal. Ganondorf had attempted to get Link to pick out something healthier, but alas, Link was content with picking out the sugariest cereal he could find. One of these days he’d get the boy to try something other than Lon Lon Marshmallow Puffs. 

 

Link was signing animatedly about his day as Ganondorf checked their shopping list. His brows furrowed as he checked off on what they had gotten, glancing over at Link occasionally to see what he was talking about. He smiled to himself somewhat as Link bragged about winning a dodgeball match in P.E. for his team. He ruffled Link’s hair and congratulated him, glad that his son was proving to be the best in anything he put his mind to. All Dragmires should be feared for their perfection, after all~ 

  
“Piano lessons are still going well?” Ganondorf asked after awhile, putting a package of mushrooms into the cart. He frowned slightly at the thought of Link’s teacher. No matter how hard he tried she continued to invade his life, like a weed he just couldn’t pull out of his garden.

 

Link nodded animatedly, looking pleased with himself. His lessons were the best part of the school day--of course they were going great!

 

Ganondorf smiled a bit and decided Zelda couldn’t be all that bad. She had apologized, making things much smoother between them. Despite their spat it sounded like she had continued to treat Link well, which was rather admirable-

 

_ Chink! _

 

Ganondorf jumped slightly, head snapping forward as he realized he had ran his cart into someone else’s.    
  


What he hadn’t expected was to crash his cart into Zelda’s.

 

The strawberry blonde looked equally surprised, adjusting her glasses as she smiled shyly up at him. She looked to have just gotten off work, as she was dressed in a warm pink sweater with a matching rose colored skirt that went down to her ankles. Her hair was pulled back into a braid that went down to her back, allowing her triforce earrings to be seen behind two curled strands of hair.

 

Not that he was paying attention to any of this. It didn’t matter to Ganondorf what she looked like or wore.

 

Link’s face lit up with glee as he turned to wave eagerly to Zelda. Zelda in turn giggled and waved back, pleased to see her prized pupil.

 

“Are you staying out of trouble young man~?” She teased, coming over to give Link a hug. Link giggled and playfully shook his head. Zelda gasped before laughing and tickling Link slightly, making the young boy squeal in silent peals of laughter.

 

Ganondorf smiled as he enjoyed Link’s happiness for a moment before deciding to mess with Zelda for a bit. Her reactions proved to be rather entertaining.

 

“You may need to change prescription for those glasses--you should have seen us coming~” He tried to bark as seriously as possible, causing Zelda to twitch with annoyance.

 

Pursing her lips, she huffed and argued, “I could say the same for you, you know!”

 

Ganondorf chuckled softly, rolling his eyes and leaning in more in order to look down on Zelda, “Now now, let me be charitable and buy you some new glasses. Don’t want this mistake happening again~”

 

“Well now!” Zelda huffed, feeling rather offended, “You would think someone so tall could watch where they were going!”

 

Ganondorf smirked at her response, amused and impressed by her retorts. To think he took Zelda as a spineless pretty girl--there was some wit in there. 

 

Link gave his father a disapproving pout and gently smacked his shoulder, causing Ganondorf to chuckle.

 

“I was merely teasing Link.” He told the young boy, ruffling his hair. Link pouted more and shook his head, demanding that Ganondorf be more respectful. It caused Zelda to laugh and playfully agree with him.

 

“Link’s right--some more manners would do you good~” she couldn't help but giggle. It was humorous, watching a tiny Hylian child tell a Gerudo Man three times as large as himself what to do or how to act. It was almost like watching a cartoon.

 

Ganondorf sighed softly and gave Link a look, causing the young boy to calm down. Zelda’s gaze drifted to the grocery list in his hands, causing her to remember Link’s invitation.

 

Smiling happily, Zelda clasped her hands together as she babbled, “I just loved the invitation Link made for me! That was very sweet of him!” 

 

Link winced as his father gave him a sharp look and inquired tensely, “What kind of invitation?”

 

Zelda paused and gave a look of confusion.

 

“The invitation you had Link make for me?” She played with her hair and laughed quietly, “I wasn't expecting another dinner, but if you would prefer to start things fresh and forget about the other dinner-”

 

“There seems to be a  _ misunderstanding,”  _ Ganondorf hissed through gritted teeth, glaring down at Link who squirmed in his seat, “I had no plans of inviting you over for dinner. This is certainly news to me.”   
  
“Oh!” Zelda gasped in surprise, turning to Link and giving a look of disapproval, “It isn’t nice to lie to adults you know!”   
  
Link gave a nervous smile, looking away as innocently as possible. Ganondorf sighed, demanding, “Apologize to Miss Harkinian. You’re lucky I don’t ground you for lying, young man.”   
  
Link sat up straighter and quickly apologized, afraid to get in trouble. He didn’t want that at all! Groundings were worse than time outs!

 

Zelda sighed softly and shook her head, looking up into Ganondorf’s hard golden eyes, “You know, I wouldn’t mind another dinner. We could even have it at my apartment if you would like that better.”   
  
Ganondorf raised a brow in surprise. Was she serious about that? What would make her want to have another dinner with him? He wasn’t exactly friendly or hospitable. 

 

Gripping the cart handrail he mused out loud, “I… Also would like that some other time. I’ll have to look at my schedule.”

 

“Alright!” Zelda beamed up at Ganondorf, making him look away and grip the bar more. It felt unusual having someone else besides Link or Nabooru be so glad to meet with him. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

 

“Of course if you’re not busy…” Zelda smiled to herself and flushed with nerves, “We could go out to lunch together tomorrow?”

 

Ganondorf froze and stared in shock. What could have driven her to wanting to have lunch with him?! He had been nothing but rude and cold to her as far as he knew!   
  


Link gently grasped his sleeve and tugged, looking excited at the prospect. It made Ganondorf flush up a bit and look away. Link seemed to think it was a good idea. Not to mention his lunches were usually rather lonely… 

 

“... Alright.” He gave a curt nod and hummed lowly, “I’ll go out to lunch with you. Thank you.”   
  
Zelda nodded and just gazed into his eyes for a moment. Link brightened at the sight. This was great! Yeah his dinner plan hadn’t worked but now it looked like they were going out after all! This was amazing!

 

Gripping her cart, Zelda backed up to push pass Ganondorf. Biting her lip she smiled and mumbled softly, “See you tomorrow.” Pushing past him she hunched down over the cart and smiled off into the distance. This was… Something! She felt somewhat excited to meet with him again. Maybe getting to know Ganondorf better would be a good thing.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this update! Kudos are appreciated as are comments. :)


	6. Lunch and Lily Pads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda and Ganondorf meetup for lunch at a cafe and get to know one another better.

Ganondorf checked his watch with an impatient sigh, drumming his fingers against the table. Zelda must have trouble with punctuality. She was five minutes late, yet again. He couldn’t tolerate this amount of disrespect for a second time!

 

He was surprised he had agreed to lunch together the next day, let alone that he could fit a lunch date into his turbulent schedule on such short notice. Something about Zelda fascinated him, although he wasn’t sure what. No matter how hard he tried, Ganondorf couldn’t get Zelda to leave his thoughts. All throughout work he thought of questions to ask her. If she was to continue popping up in his life and invading his mind… He might as well get to know her. That didn’t mean they’d be friends or anything. If his mild curiosity was satisfied, maybe she would leave his thoughts.

 

Ganondorf’s grip on his menu tightened when he saw Zelda start to approach the small and cozy cafe. She was dressed in a beautiful orange sundress that was covered in hibiscus flowers. The dress went down past her thighs and exposed her arms, clinging to her shapely figure. Ganondorf was surprised to catch himself staring for a moment. Quickly he avoided his gaze and gave a grumbly greeting as she approached.

 

“Greetings…” He muttered, avoiding her gaze as she sat down across from him with a cheery grin.   
  
“Greetings!” She beamed and grabbed her menu, starting to look it over. Eventually she peered over it to admire Ganondorf’s attire. Another expensive striped suit, this time with a purple tie. He looked rather nice in purple.   
Finishing reading over her menu, Zelda decided to go with lemonade, a salad, and some strawberry cheesecake. The Hylian woman closed the menu up and placed her hands over it, smiling up at Ganondorf who glowered down at her.

 

“Why were you late this time?” He asked apathetically, narrowing his eyes. Zelda shivered and gave a pout.   
  
“If you must know it was traffic. I mean not to offend you every time I’m late, you know.” The Hylian woman muttered, causing Ganondorf to stiffen and glare.    
Sighing, he shook his head, “Alright. How is your day then?”   
  
Zelda started to relax, smiling once more. She played with a lock of her hair as she thought about her answer, “Hmm… Well I suppose it’s good! Choir class is right after lunch and I am excited to recite our Zora piece next with the children!”

 

“A Zora song? Fascinating.” Ganondorf nodded curtly and sat back in his chair, which was straining underneath his weight. Many Gerudo were too heavy for Hylian furniture.  Zelda tried not to watch or snicker at the sight of such a large man sitting on a tiny chair.

 

“It’s a traditional song meant to wish people luck during fishing trips,” Zelda explained eagerly with a soft smile, “It’s rather catchy and students seem to enjoy it.”   
  
“Good. I would hope they do.” Ganondorf hummed, checking his watch once more. He placed his menu down and eyed Zelda once more, causing her to blush and look away. What was Ganondorf staring at?!

 

“I presume you were busy as well?” She asked, tugging at her hair and flushing more. Ganondorf raised a brow and nodded.   
“Lining up investors, making sure our next products are testing well and being worked on.” he explained briefly. Zelda looked interested and tried to ask what new products, which made Ganondorf roll his eyes.   
“I can’t let you know. You could go blabbing about unreleased merchandise.”   
  
Zelda twitched and huffed, glaring in return, “That is not true! I would never do something like that!”

 

“Oh sure you wouldn’t.” He gave a snort and smirked, “I won’t be fooled by you.”

 

“Fooled?!” Zelda pouted and crossed her arms. Ganondorf could be so rude! She didn’t understand why!

 

Before she could protest their waiter arrived and took their orders. Ganondorf asked for a tea, while Zelda requested a lemonade. Left to their own devices Ganondorf’s head started to turn with questions. What to ask Zelda. She seemed to be a simple woman with an easy life. Then again that might not be the case. There was the ever so slight possibility that Zelda had a complicated life filled with worry and strife hidden behind a lovely smile. 

 

Folding his hands in front of his lips, he leaned in and asked Zelda curiously, “Who are your parents?”

 

“My parents?” Zelda’s eyes lit up with surprise. He was interested in her life? That was shocking… Pursing her lips, Zelda smiled and explained fondly, “I grew up in a candy store with just my father. He could make the best taffy in Castle Town.” Zelda giggled softly, playing with her hair, “I would come home after school every day and help sell candy,” She sighed happily and touched her necklace with a smile, “Those were some of the best days of my childhood.”   
  
Ganondorf smiled to himself. That was a rather cute story, he had to admit. He could imagine a young Zelda being sweet while trying to sell chocolates, suckers and taffies. She was probably a good salesperson. 

“A sweets shop? Is it still running?”   
  
“Of course. My father is still dedicated to sweets.” Zelda beamed, feeling relaxed. She was grateful to have a nice conversation with Ganondorf for once. “We should get some sweets there sometime!”   
  
“I’m not much for sweets, personally.” Ganondorf admitted with a careless shrug, “But I’ll try some taffy sometime.” 

 

“Alright! What are your favorite flavors?” Zelda asked.

 

Ganondorf thought about it for a moment and chuckled, “Anything spicy. See if he’ll make me some sort of spicy taffy.”   
  
Zelda stared and gave a bewildered look, “Spicy taffy?! That sounds so strange!”

 

“I assure you that spicy sweets are fantastic.” Ganondorf smirked and leaned in playfully, “I imagine you haven’t had many spicy foods in your lifetime~ Which is understandable considering Hylian diets~”

 

Zelda bristled with irritation and barked at him, “Excuse me! You don’t need to insult me every time we talk!”

 

“I was merely making an observation, Zelda~” He chuckled, resting his cheek in his hand, “You don’t need to be so touchy~”   
  
“I’m not touchy!” Zelda yelled, just as their server came back with their drinks. The server gave Zelda an odd look before placing the drinks down. Zelda flushed furiously as the Hylian left the two and once he did, Ganondorf laughed lightly in amusement. 

 

Zelda flushed deeply and glared up at Ganondorf. What a jerk! Of course he would go out of his way to embarrass her like that!

“Got anything else to say?!” She snapped at him, folding her arms. She leaned over and took a reluctant sip of her lemonade.

 

“You’re amusing. I’ll say that.” Ganondorf hummed with a light grin. At least Zelda was entertaining, “And your story… Was touching I suppose. Feel free to tell me more about yourself.”   
  
Zelda grumbled something rude underneath her breath before sighing. Oh how she wished she could wipe that smug grin off of Ganondorf’s face! Zelda scowled slightly and grumbled, “Well, I’ve always grown up in Castle Town. I was naturally gifted in music and it was always my biggest interest.”   
  
“Which naturally lead you to become a music teacher?” Ganondorf concluded.   
  


“Yes.” Zelda answered, leaning over to sip her lemonade, “What lead you to become a businessman?”    
  
Ganondorf’s face grew serious as he contemplated his answer. Many trials and moments in his life had lead him to where he was today. The state of his people suffering in the desert and his gifts with magic were his biggest motivators to enter Castle Town and start his business. Yet would Zelda understand that? How could she understand all the trouble he had gone through to get to the success he had today? There was no way he trusted her enough to tell her about his entire past. They barely knew one another.

 

“I decided that magic based communication was underutilized and should be used to give the less fortunate ways to communicate.” He answered after a long pause, pleased with his sterile answer. Zelda furrowed her brows and nodded, trying to make sense of his words.

 

“So you left the desert to become a businessman in the city?”   
  
“Indeed.” Ganondorf stroked his beard for a moment before sipping his tea, feeling anxious. If Zelda got close enough to guessing the truth or touching a nerve, he’d figure out a way to redirect the conversation.

 

“That’s very noble.” Zelda replied with a small smile, please with his answer. For some reason she had suspected that he was only in it for the rupees, but to hear that that wasn’t the case was comforting. Ganondorf looked to be a man of higher morals it seemed!    
Taking a big sip of lemonade she decided to ask curiously, “What was it like being the only male in your village? Gerudo Town is filled with only women, correct?”   
  
“It is.” Ganondorf smiled to himself as he thought of home. He hoped his family was alright. “It was normal I supposed. I got treated differently occasionally, but we no longer have the males as sole leaders of the tribe.” he furrowed his bushy brows, gazing past Zelda, “I was raised the same as my sisters. I am grateful to have been treated as an equal despite my gender.”   
  
“Fascinating!” Zelda gaped in awe at this information. The Gerudo were rather interesting, she had to admit! 

 

“Of course the desert is as unforgiving as always,” Ganondorf gave a curt nod and sighed, “Proper resources are scarce.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Zelda frowned in concern. Ganondorf glared at her words. He hated pity.

 

“I’m sure you are.” He snapped lowly, looking away. Zelda flinched and sighed, deciding not to press the issue further. 

 

The two sat in silence till their server came back to take their order. They both decided to go for a salad, with Zelda asking for a slice of strawberry cheesecake to go alongside her order. Once their server left Zelda decided to ask, “Why did you agree to lunch with me?”

 

Ganondorf thought over her question for a moment before giving a small shrug, “You amuse me I suppose. I needed an excuse to go out and Link seems to want us to get along better.”   
  
“I suppose so.” Zelda chuckled a bit as she thought of Link. What a strange little boy. She couldn’t help but smile to herself and feel amused at the thought that Ganondorf found her to be interesting. She was still shocked that a week ago he seemed to hate her guts while now that was proving not to be the case.

 

Eventually conversation turned to Link and his education. Zelda eagerly raved about Link’s intelligence which made Ganondorf radiate with pride. Of course his child was a genius and of course he was getting excellent marks in school. He would accept nothing less than perfect. From the topic of Link lead to hobbies and interests, of which Zelda hadn’t expected to be so surprised.

 

“You  _ knit? _ ” She asked incredulously, her eyes wide. 

 

Ganondorf looked amused and gave a nod. “I do. I enjoy knitting sweaters due to how cold it gets outside the desert.”

 

Zelda smiled at that and nodded. Ah, that would make sense. She supposed slightly lower temperatures were rather cold for the Gerudo.    
“Have you made Link a sweater?” She asked curiously.

 

“Of course. This year I shall make him a green sweater.” Ganondorf smiled slightly at the idea of knitting a sweater much too big for Link. He hoped he would grow into it. There were days Ganondorf prayed that Link would grow up to be big and tall and not shrimpy like the average Hylian. 

 

“Can you knit?” He asked a moment later, sipping his tea.   
  
Zelda smiled sheepishly and shook her head, “I’m afraid not, however, I do paint when I have the time.”   
  
“Really now, may I see some of your work?” Ganondorf felt interested at this. He hadn’t taken Zelda to be a painter. He didn’t expect much from her, to be honest. 

 

Zelda flushed and fished her phone out to look for photos.    
“Well they are rather personal,” she admitted, playing with her hair as she picked out a picture of one of her paintings based off a scene from the Scarlet Heart series, “S-so don’t laugh!”   
  
Ganondorf chuckled softly and took Zelda’s phone, eyes widening slightly at the picture. It was a painting of a rather intimate scene. It looked to be the main couple from the book spooning after a nice romp in their new bed.

 

“You weren’t kidding about it being personal.” Ganondorf handed Zelda her phone back with an amused grin, “To think you’re into sexy books~”   
  
“I’m not! I-I just happen to like the series for its plot!” Zelda whined, clutching her phone and flushing up a storm. Ganondorf chuckled and eyed her for a moment till their server came back with their food.   
  
Over their meals they discussed each other’s likes and dislikes, their jobs, and their routines. After finishing up and paying they were both surprised to see the sky darken above them. A rain storm began, much to Ganondorf’s annoyance.   
  
“I didn’t bring an umbrella.” He muttered, lifting a hand up to try and block out the rain. Zelda gave a small smile before pulling one out of her purse and opening it up. It was frog themed with little frogs dotting the umbrella’s green surface. Ganondorf was surprised yet grateful to see she had brought it and thanked her before holding it up for them both. Zelda huddled close, noticing their proximity as they both walked towards Ganondorf’s car.

 

Zelda was pleasantly surprised to say that lunch had gone…. Rather well! She had had fun getting to know Ganondorf more and was surprised by his wit and interesting opinions. She had been afraid he would be sullen all throughout lunch. Luckily he hadn’t and now she felt as though she understood the Gerudo male more than she had before.

Something inside her seemed to light up at the idea that they were starting to become friends. Secretly she hoped Ganondorf felt the same way.

 

As the two walked they were unaware of cameras tracking their every move. Flashes lit up as a group of paparazzi followed their every move with grins on their faces. What an exciting story indeed! The CEO in love with a simple Hylian woman! Papers would fly off the shelves when they published this story! They couldn’t wait! 

  
  


* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! :)


	7. Dealing with Disappointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf learns of the paparazzi printing lies about he and Zelda’s relationship. Link gets the wrong idea and assumes his father asked Zelda out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love and support so far! This chapter may be a bit rushed--I've started three online college courses and had to work during Memorial Day Weekend. Despite that let's get this show on the road!

Ganondorf sat steadfast at his computer, typing away at plans for the new crystal ball line. His team had just gotten documents written up for a line of sleeker and faster crystal balls that could connect you to anywhere in Hyrule in a blink of an eye. Perfect for Gorons and Gerudo! The CEO felt eager to announce the upcoming product line to the public.

Each announcement Crystal Clear Communications did was a gigantic event, talked about in newspapers all over Hyrule. A huge celebration would be held around Christmas at an elegant venue that would be open to the public. Their next announcement had to be big. He refused to lose to these new cell phone companies he hadn’t partnered with yet.

 

As Ganondorf typed away at his keyboard he was unaware of Nabooru behind his door, gleefully smirking away and snickering. In her hand she had a tabloid paper containing some rather…  _ Fascinating  _ news. Normally she would have discarded the rag in a recycling bin, yet when she saw the headline…

 

It was delicious. She had to speak with her friend immediately~

 

Nabooru jittered as she knocked at the door, stifling a laugh when she heard a gruff, “Enter!” in response. Pulling the door open, Nabooru slid inside inside and held the paper close to her chest. Ganondorf’s eyes flickered up to regard her momentarily before turning back to his work.   
No other word of acknowledgment was given, leaving Nabooru with the impression that he was absorbed in detailing their new product line.

 

Raising her trimmed brows, the Gerudo woman pursed her nude colored lips for a moment in thought. Should she distract him with this amazing gossip or leave him be?

 

_ It would be more interesting to bug him. Especially after that little lunch date yesterday~ _

 

Nabooru had to admit, she wasn’t sure how Link had convinced Ganondorf to go out with Zelda so quickly. He tended to hold grudges for much longer than just a few days. Yet it seemed Ganondorf had enjoyed Zelda’s company, as he came back with a smile on his face and said nothing good or bad over the events of their lunch.

 

Coming to a decision, Nabooru sauntered over to Ganondorf’s desk and held the tabloid over his computer screen, causing him to jump and glower down at her with a growl.   
  
“Nabooru-”   
  
“Read it.” Nabooru chuckled and shook the paper. Ganondorf furrowed his brows before letting his gaze trail across the paper. Immediately a dark look passed over his features. Ripping the paper out of Nabooru’s well manicured hands he snarled furiously, “This rumor they are propagating is false! We are not in a relationship!”

 

Nabooru wore a playful grin as she cackled, “You sure~? You’re holding an umbrella for her on the cover! Looks like something a couple would do- she’s almost holding your arm!”

 

“That means nothing! She’s short! That’s why she’s walking so close to me!” Ganondorf yelled, ripping the paper in half in a fury. Nabooru didn’t wince as she watched him in amusement. It was always so fun to watch him throw a fit~   
  
Nabooru covered her mouth with a hand as she chuckled, sitting back in the chair across from Ganondorf’s desk. Ganondorf continued to fume, crossing his arms and hunching down to scowl at her.   
  
“Listen Gan, it’s okay if you want to start dating,” she held up her hands and kick her heels up onto his desk, “It’s fine! If you want to feel less lonely-”   
  
“That isn’t what this is,” He cut her off with a sharp wave of his hand. Sighing, Ganondorf’s face ended up in his palm before running through his hair, “I merely went out to lunch with her to make Link happy. He tried to invite her over for dinner again.”   
  
Brows raised as Nabooru took in this information. Link really was attached to his teacher. Enough to want her and Ganondorf to be friends…. She was shocked. He wasn’t like this about anyone else his Father knew.    
  
Nabooru pursed her lips and asked quietly, “Is Link desiring… A mother?”   
  
Ganondorf’s eyes widen as he took that idea in. Could Link be….? No. No there was no way- he would have said something by now! He had never mentioned desiring a mother! He made sure that Link was in contact with the Gerudo whenever it was feasible! He got to see his grandmothers at each holiday! Link was fine with only having a Father!

 

“Gan…” Nabooru readjusted herself, feet placed on the ground once more. She leaned in to give Ganondorf a sympathetic stare, “Answer me please.”    
  
“We’re fine.  _ He’s fine _ .” Ganondorf insisted, pushing his hands out. Anxiety curled and flared up inside his gut at the very thought of Link crying out for another parent. No no no! He didn’t want to get married! Link didn’t need a mother!   
“Nabs I’d tell you if I was getting with anybody.” Ganondorf muttered, turning around in his chair to stare at the wall behind his desk. His hair seemed to stand on end as he gripped the armrests of his chair in a panic.

 

Nabooru could sense something was wrong as she stood up to come around his desk to slowly place a hand on his shoulder. Ganondorf winced and shrugged her hand off.   
  
He felt numb all over as his heart thumped wildly.

 

“I know you would.” Nabooru whispered softly. She took Ganondorf’s hand and squeezed it tight, “Please take some deep breaths. You look as pale as a Hylian right now.”   
  
Ganondorf shuddered and nodded, squeezing Nabooru’s hand back as he tried to steady his breathing. Everything felt numb--as if the world was slipping away. His senses didn’t feel all there.   
A torrent of thoughts pounded at his skull that he couldn’t seem to control on his own.   
  
Nabooru wore a worried frown as she watched Ganondorf’s eyes glaze over. She had never seen him act this terrified before. She and… The press. They both had touched a nerve. She never understood why Ganondorf was terrified of ruining Link’s happiness! He was such a good father- he tried his best to understand his son despite his disability, cared enough to make Link trilingual at a young age--he did so many things for adoptive son that she had never seen another father do before.    
So why… And where was this anxiety coming from? Who would instil it inside Ganondorf?   
  
He was always a perfectionist. It could be that. Yet where had that perfectionism come from?   
  
Nabooru started to calm down as Ganondorf’s breathing returned to normal. Eventually they both let go of each other’s hands and just stared at the wall ahead for a moment. Ganondorf clutched his head as he felt breathless and weary.    
  
“Why Nabs?” He asked quietly, tugging at the end of his braid. Nabooru turned to look up at him with brows furrowed, “Why… Is Link doing this?”   
  
Nabooru’s gave a half lidded look, worrying her lip for a moment before answering, “I don’t know. He could just want you to have more friends.”   
  
“I have you.” Ganondorf’s argument was immediate, causing Nabooru to roll her eyes. Of course Ganondorf would say that.   
  
“I have other friends besides you. You can have more than just one friend.” She argued gently, smiling a little, “I’m friends with Impa for instance.”    
  
“That’s because Impa is insightful.” Ganondorf scoffed with a roll of his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. “I can survive with just one friend.”   
  
Nabooru sighed as she gripped Ganondorf’s armrest, leaning in to argue with him, “Gan come  _ on _ . You told me that your lunch out with Zelda was nice.”   
  
“You can have a nice lunch with someone and not be friends.” He argued, gritting his teeth, “I was merely being polite.”   
  
“Sure, sure you were.” Nabooru shook her head and shot Ganondorf a glare, “Come on Gan! Don’t tell me you’re afraid to make friends-”   
“I’m not!” He snapped, sitting up straight now as he matched Nabooru’s glare with one of his own. “I barely know her alright? Once I get to know her…” His teeth started to grind as he admitted, “I’ll… I’ll be friends with her.  _ Possibly.” _ he closed his eyes with a heavy sigh, “However we are  _ not _ an item.”   
  
Nabooru relaxed at Ganondorf’s confession and gave a slow nod, closing her eyes as she started to smile.   
“Of course you’re not- I knew that.” she told him, letting go of the armrest to fold her arms and lean up against the wall with a cheeky grin, “As you have said, you would have told me,” She gestured lazily to the tabloid on his desk, “Not to mention all these rags print is lies. Just the other day they were saying Ghirahim is  _ straight.” _

 

Ganondorf gave an odd look yet didn’t question her words. Nabooru only spoke from a place of logic--he knew that. A simple gesture of him keeping Zelda out of the rain with her umbrella had merely… Been taken out of context. As for the arrangement of the lunch itself, it was clear Link just wanted him to move past that dinner disaster and become closer to his favorite teacher. Any child would do that to their parent.    
Most importantly if Link was in need of a mother figure… He would have mentioned it by now.   
  
Ganondorf felt himself relax as he closed his eyes and went over words of reassurement. He tumbled phrases of logic around in his mind till they merely collect like calm pools of water. Sighing in relief, he opened his eyes and gave Nabooru a grateful look.   
  
“Thank you. I needed that.”   
  
“You’re welcome.” She smiled and relaxed as well. Finally, for now Ganondorf was back to normal.   
  
Nabooru moved out from behind Ganondorf’s desk, sauntering back towards the door. Before she did she stopped in the middle of the room and threw out a bit of advice, “Gan… Try to stay open minded, alright?” She slowly turned around and locked eyes with him, a small smile splashing across her face, “Don’t let one tabloid deter you from making friends with someone.”   
  
Ganondorf gave a curt nod, a bit surprised from her words. What was she thinking? Was Nabooru worried that… He would get lonely or never make any other friends beside her?    
If he got to know Zelda better there was a possibility that they could become friends. Sure, she would never understand him or learn of his past… Yet to have one person to make plans with that not only he enjoyed the company of, but his son as well… He supposed that wouldn’t be too terrible.   
  
“Alright.” He agreed tentatively, furrowing his thick brows, “I shall… Keep that in mind. Farewell.”   
  
“Farewell.” With that Nabooru made her exit, praying Ganondorf would mull her words over while keeping an open mind.

 

* * *

 

Ganondorf sighed to himself as Link ranted and raved about how great it was that his Papa was getting together with Miss Harkinian. Of course the rumors from that rag had passed throughout town and into the schools--even the elementary schools.

 

The frustrated Gerudo waited till he had Link seated in the car before turning to him and explaining gently, “The rumors are not true. Zelda and I are merely… Friends I suppose.”

 

Link stared in disbelief  for a moment before pouting furiously. What?! No! Papa had to be lying!

 

The young Hylian immediately argued back that this couldn't be true. He demanded to hear the truth. Just because he was young didn't mean his Papa had to hide the truth from him!

 

Ganondorf held back a look of amusement at Link’s plea. He had to wonder how Link was so intuitive. Almost wiser beyond his years…

 

“I wouldn't hide the truth from you, Link,” Ganondorf’s voice rumbled, his golden gaze softening, “I promise. Miss Harkinian and I merely shared her umbrella in a bit of rain after lunch. That’s all.”   
  
Link scowled, feeling disappointed. That couldn’t be all it was! His Papa wouldn’t have shared an umbrella with anyone else or let someone get that close to him! He had to be hiding something…   
  
Ganondorf sighed at Link’s scowling and turned, starting the car up. He felt a pang in his stomach at that disappointment that Link felt. He was telling the truth…

 

The two drove in silence for a bit, both unsure what to say. Link gazed out the window, thick brows furrowed irritably. Ganondorf felt tired during the drive as the sun shone overhead. Eventually Ganondorf couldn’t help but speak up, “Link I promise I’ll try and get to understand Miss Harkinian better. For your sake-”   
  
Link whipped around and started to sign furiously,  _ Do it because you like her! Not because I do! _

 

Ganondorf caught his signing out of the corner of his eye and immediately looked away. Of course Link would say that.

 

“Alright, alright. I understand.”   
Ganondorf gripped the steering wheel tighter as he drove, his grip only softening when they finally pulled up into the driveway. Heaving a sigh of relief, the Gerudo got out and retrieved his briefcase before going around the other side of the car and opening the door for Link.    
  
Link looked less furious than before as he merely gave his father a look of concern. Ganondorf leaned down to unbuckle Link’s seatbelt. Scooping his son up, the weary father marched inside their luxurious home and deposited Link in the living room. Ganondorf dropped his briefcase on the floor with a feeling of relief before glancing down at Link.   
  
“You may change if you like before you start your homework.” He addressed the young boy, moving over to the couch. He sunk down onto the plush seat with a happy sigh.

 

Link worried his lip as he nodded, running off to go and do as he was told.

 

Ganondorf sat on the couch with his eyes closed for a few minutes before willing himself to get up. The house was in dire need of some cleaning, dinner needed to be started soon…

Reminding himself of chores at a time like this made him yearn for his childhood years. No real responsibilities, certainly no chores!

 

Knowing what he had to do the bulky Gerudo dragged himself to his bedroom in order to strip off his suit. Arriving in the room he peeled off his clothing piece by piece and put it in a spot dedicated to dry cleaning. Eager to put on something loose and airy, Ganondorf took out his, “Mom clothes” from his dresser.    
Said, “Mom clothes,” were leopard spotted pajama capris, a matching leopard headscarf, and an old pink t-shirt that read, “Pigs are People Too.”

 

With clothes up and hair tied up in a headscarf Ganondorf started to smile a little. Sure, he felt silly, but he also felt somewhat peaceful. Eventually Link would get over his disappointment. He was sure of it. Then his life would feel normal and not so out of control.

 

Sauntering out of his room the Gerudo made his way towards the living room closet and pulled out a vacuum cleaner. Yawning, he started it up. If there was any furniture in the way Ganondorf picked it up with one hand and vacuumed under it, not letting anything get in his way.   
  
Well, some of Link’s toys tried to get in his way. When it came to toys a simple levitation spell was in order. Moving the toys off the carpet, Ganondorf deposited them onto the couch until all the vacuuming was finished. Sighing in relief, Ganondorf started to sing softly to himself as he put the vacuum away and moved onto dusting furniture. Dusting lead to cleaning windows and so forth till the house was spotless.

Link was surprised to see his Papa was still cleaning once he had finished all his homework. Then again his Papa was a neat freak so it wasn’t that surprising.   
  
Link decided to help by running over and climbing up his father with ease. Ganondorf seized up a bit in surprise yet accepted it and let Link climb up to sit on his shoulders. He handed the window cleanser and cloth up to his son so he could clean the highest window panes.    
  
With the windows looking spotless Ganondorf levitated the cleanser out of Link’s hands and set them aside so he could duck down and catch a surprised Link in his arms. Chuckling a bit, Ganondorf began to tickle Link’s face with his beard while his hands tickled his son’s sides. Link squealed silently and squirmed all about, laughing with joy. His Papa knew tons of ways to make him smile!   
  
“Come now, you cannot stay mad at me forever.” Ganondorf cackled as his tickling crusade continued. Link laughed and laughed, trying his best to pull eventually. Eventually the tickling winded down till Link was panting and cuddling up against his father with a goofy grin. Ganondorf smiled to himself as he held Link close and found his way back over to the couch. The two snuggled down into the couch--mostly due to Ganondorf feeling tired from the events of the day.    
He had a sneaking feeling a call for some takeout would be in order.

 

Checking a nearby clock for the time, Ganondorf shrugged off thoughts of dinner and levitated the remote over. He handed it to Link and told him to pick something out to watch.   
  
“Please spare us from having to watch, “My Little Epona,” reruns.” He sighed, praying he wasn’t sounding too desperate to get out of watching the popular children’s television program. Link snickered and shook his head, turning the TV on and pulling up reruns of the show.   
  
Ganondorf snorted and laid back, holding Link close as he closed his eyes. Fine then. He’d take a nap if Link was so insistent.   
Link merely nuzzled closer as the program started. Neither of them noticed the other slowly drifting off to sleep as the cartoon played softly in the background.   
  
It was awhile before either of them woke up. Ganondorf awoke first, groaning from the crick in his neck he had received. Stretching his arms out, the Gerudo gently pried Link off of his chest and set him down on the couch. Rising up from the nice indent he had made in the cushions. Ganondorf stifled a groan as he stretched out and went to one of his many Crystal Balls in their home.

 

Tapping its surface, he started to place a call to an authentic Gerudo restaurant for some takeout. Making sure to order a melon dessert to complete the meal, Ganondorf had them charge his card and made sure to leave a donation to the restaurant.

 

“A-are you sure Lord Ganondorf?!” The elderly Gerudo on the other end gaped in surprise. The rumors were true! Mr. Dragmire was indeed generous.   
  
“Very sure. Thank you miss.” He gave a rare smile before hanging up.

 

The food arrived quickly, which didn’t shock Ganondorf at all. Of course after such a large donation they would have made sure to deliver the food as quickly as possible. He tipped the delivery girl a purple rupee, causing her to flush and bow graciously to him after handing him off his food. Ganondorf gave a dismissive wave and wished her luck on her travels.

 

Ganondorf trekked silently to the dining room and set the found down. Afterwards he went back to the living room and gently shook Link awake.   
  
“The food’s here.” He whispered, kneeling down beside the couch. Link rubbed at his eyes and nodded, yawning groggily. Giving a tired, neutral frown, Link slide off the couch and waddled towards the dining room with another yawn. Ganondorf chuckled and shook his head as he followed after his son.

 

They both chatted over dinner over anything and everything. Anxious thoughts of Link being disappointed or his feelings towards Zelda melted away as Ganondorf listened and enjoyed cuisine that reminded him of home. He smiled into his piece of melon as Link described wild tales of adventure from recess or what he and Sidon’s plans were the next time they hung out.

 

After dinner the two continued to relax together in the living room. Ganondorf read some more of the  _ Scarlet Heart  _ series as Link played on the floor with his toys. Once the clock struck 7 Ganondorf placed a bookmark in his book and stood up, regarding Link with a soft smile.   
  
“Alright. Bath time. Let me go and run the water for you.”   
  
Link brightened and also stood up, rushing over and hugging one of Ganondorf’s legs. Ganondorf rolled his eyes before smirking a little in amusement. He began to walk towards the bathroom as Link held on and giggled.    
The two entered the sandy colored bathroom with smiles on their faces. Ganondorf bend down to start the water while Link wandered over to the bathroom shelves and picked out a bath bomb and some toys to use in the bath. Ganondorf continued to check the water temperature, making sure it wasn’t too hot.   
  
Once the bath was rung up, Ganondorf left to give Link some privacy. He came back and sat outside the bathroom, reading his book while listening to the sounds of a water splashing out of the tub as a bath bomb fizzed. The Gerudo sighed and frequently reminded Link that bathwater was to remain in the bathtub at all times, not the floor.

Of course Link continued not to heed his warnings.

 

Coming back inside the bathroom, Ganondorf almost slipped and fell onto the tiled floor. Despite placing towels down the floor was covered in water. Furious, Ganondorf ordered Link out of the tub and threw more towels down while the blonde sheepishly dried himself off. Wrapping a gigantic, fluffy towel around himself, Link ran out of the bathroom and towards his bedroom in order to find his pajamas.

 

Sopping water up, the redhead growled and grumbled the whole time.   
“Ungrateful child, not listening to me, making a mess!”   
  
However he couldn’t stay mad. Link wasn’t that old after all and more importantly, was a boy. He remembered countless times in his youth Kotake and Koume had squawked at him not to make a mess or break pots. Yet had he listened? Of course not. Who would listen to those hags.   
  
Smirking at the memory, Ganondorf shook his head as he collected the wet towels and threw them into the hamper. By now it was almost 8:30 and soon Link would be late to bed.

 

The Gerudo entered his son’s bedroom. The bedroom was styled like a fairy’s nest. Brown walls met a green, leaf patterned carpet. The lights over head were covered in circular pink, yellow and green shades that looked as if they were fairies flying in the air. The walls had a ring of wallpaper meant to resemble flowers and trees, matching the leafy carpet below. Link slept in a small wooden bed resembling a hollowed out log that was covered in blankets. One side of the room held the wooden bed, dresser and sliding door closet while the other half was messily covered in toys of all shapes and sizes. At the head of the room was a bookshelf stuffed with tons of books.   
  
Link sat in his bed, cuddling his precious plush boar Fado and wearing his matching PJ’s. He looked a little nervous till Ganondorf smiled his way and asked softly, “What story would you like to hear tonight?”   
  
The Hylian mulled it over before requesting the Legend of the Hero of the Winds. Ganondorf clicked his tongue at th at and shook his head before pulling the book out. Of course Link wanted to hear that one-- it was his favorite story. The tale of a hero not chosen by the Goddesses, an underwater kingdom, a talking boat, pirates-- he could see the appeal. He wasn’t sure he liked hearing of his supposed past life getting stabbed through the skull with the Master Sword…

 

Sitting on the floor against the wall, Ganondorf opened the picture book up and started at the beginning, “This is but one of the legends of which the people speak… Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace.”   
  
Link leaned in and listened, eyes owlish and wide. He had heard this story numerous times before yet it always felt like the first time he had heard it whenever his father read it out loud.   
  
Ganondorf read through the story, giving each character a different voice. Subconsciously his hand reached for Link’s and held it tight during the more intense parts of the tale. Link would laugh, jump in fright, or grow tired at different parts of the story till he fell asleep once Princess Zelda was captured.   
  
The Gerudo shut the book with a sigh of relief and gazed down at Link sleeping away with a tight hold on Fado. With both hands free he slowly stood up and silently put the book back on the shelf. He gazed over at Link for a long while before turning around to leave, grateful for all the blessings in his life so far.

 

Grateful for Link’s forgiveness and the tight bond he held with his son. Nothing would break that, he was sure. 


	8. Scandal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda reacts with Impa to the tabloid’s lies. That night Zelda calls Ganondorf and asks how they should handle the “scandal”.

Zelda had expected another calm and peaceful day to arrive that morning when she rolled out of bed and fished around in the kitchen for creamer to add into her coffee. What she hadn’t expected was a rolled up, damp tabloid at her apartment door that had gotten rained on.

 

She also hadn’t expected to unroll that tabloid and find herself clutching Ganondorf’s arm and sharing an umbrella on the front cover.

 

At first it hadn’t registered in her mind that that was them--it was possible that this was a photoshoot done by a suspiciously similar couple. However the likelihood of that being possible was 1,000 in 1 and eventually Zelda’s brain had to process that this was them on that cover being declared as a couple. He had her frog umbrella clenched in his gigantic fist and she with her petite, freckle covered arms was grasping at his own much larger one. Ganondorf Dragmire was shielding her out of the rain as best as possible.

 

The headline read as follows;   
  
**_SHOCKING DISCOVERY! HOW ALOOF CEO BACHELOR ENDED UP WITH THIS COMMON CUTIE! TURN TO PAGE 4!_ **

 

Zelda immediately ran her hand down her face--tugging at the skin as she took in a sharp inhale of air. Letting her face go, she gave an odd squeal and threw the rag against the wall. Eyes the size of dinner plates, she turned as pale as a ghost and stared in horror. W-what?! They were supposedly a  _ couple _ ?! Who in their right mind would assume that?! They were nothing more than close acquaintances  _ at best! _

 

“H-How is this happening….?” she had mumbled, gently placing her creamer down on the counter so she could bend down and scoop the tabloid up off the floor. Someone had taken pictures of them walking after lunch a-and spun a story out of that?! If it hadn’t been raining, would this story have been printed?

 

_ Of course not. You wouldn’t be able to spin a story out of nothing like that. This was the perfect cliche- sharing an umbrella. Of course they’d make a love story out of that.  _

 

Zelda worried her lip, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Her throat seemed to swell up and close as nausea welled up in her stomach. She felt terrified- what if people came after her asking questions, demanding to know what Ganondorf was like. W-what if they probed and asked why she loved him, how she confessed, when their next date would happen-

 

Devolving into a panic, Zelda clutched herself and felt a small sob escape her lips. This couldn’t happen! She wasn’t prepared for this! Not at all! 

 

Zelda slowly fell onto her knees, hugging her robe covered body and praying for all the drama to disappear. She didn’t want to talk to anyone about how Ganondorf made her feel or where their friendship was at. 

She didn’t want questions, she wanted answers. 

 

Hot tears stained her cheeks as Zelda sat on her knees and cried, begging for the dramatics to cease. She had to be up and ready to leave for school in a half hour--she didn’t have time for this!   
  
Sniffling, Zelda yanked herself up off the floor and grabbed the creamer once more. She turned to her coffee maker and poured some into a cup, dotting some creamer into it and downing the sugary brew. It’s sweet tastes couldn’t help her sorrows. Her emotions and panic were overwhelming. 

 

The Hylian woman felt as though she were walking through a dream as she got ready for another day at school. She hardly remembered what she ate for breakfast, which show she had running in the background off her DVR, or how she decided her attire. All she could remember was the sound of her heart pounding in her ears and nausea having its vice grip on her stomach.

 

Zelda worried her lip once she was out the door, wearing skinny jeans, leather high heeled ankle boots, and a rose covered sweater. With hair piled up into a messy bun on top of her head, she prayed no one on the bus ride to school would recognize her from the tabloid.

  
The rising sun bathed her in a harsh orange light as she trotted off to her stop. She tried to distract herself with her phone. Tried to put some earbuds in and listen to some tunes, yet her anxious thoughts spiraled out of control. She barely kept it together as the bus pulled up and she handed over her fare.

 

Her watery blue gaze met the stony look of a Gerudo bus driver who stared her down. Narrowing her golden eyes, the driver tilted her head before grunting lowly, “Are you that woman from the paper? Hangin’ onto Lord Ganondorf’s arm?”

 

Zelda tried to shake her head, one of her earbuds popping out and trailing by her side. Biting at her lip till it almost bled, she winced as a Hylian man nearby cackled and called out, “That’s her! That’s the woman in the paper!”   
  
“Well I’ll be! Lord Ganondorf has excellent taste as always!” The woman guffawed, kicking her legs as she laughed. Zelda flinched and flashed her bus pass quickly. She wasted no time in shoving her other earbud back in and darting towards the back of the bus.   
  
Clutching her leather work bag close, she huddled up against the window and forced herself not to cry any further. She didn’t need anyone seeing her in a time of weakness. That would just lead to more questions that were hard to answer.

 

Everyone had seen the tabloid. Everyone knew it was her.

 

The rest of the bus ride was uneventful. With earbuds to block out the noise and her spot on the bus no one else bothered to ask her more questions. She doubted they knew she was there. Most people were sleepy on the 7:15 bus ride.    
  
Pulling up to the school, Zelda quickly grabbed her bag, kept her head down, and ignored anyone trying to get her attention as she got off the bus. Taking a deep breath in of the cool autumn air, she gazed out at the changing colors of the leaves and the corn flower colored sky. She scurried into the school building as quietly as possible. 

 

The journey to office was a bit harder. It was 7:40, meaning some teachers had just arrived and were milling towards their own classrooms. A few teachers’ gazes brightened when they saw her. Mrs. Marie, Link’s teacher, tried to stop her and ask her questions. Zelda merely shrugged her off and walked faster. Clutching the handle to the choir room, she threw it open and darted inside.

 

The door slammed shut behind her. Zelda stood in the darkness of the choir room and leaned back against the door, inhaling deeply. She sighed and was about to turn the lights on when a voice stopped her.

 

“Zelda.” Impa called out quietly in the dark. Zelda jumped with a light scream and knocked the lights on, wincing from their bright, fluorescent hues. Impa also winced, her red eyes narrowing from the harshness of the light. Sighing, she pushed back a beaded strand of hair and regarded Zelda with immediate concern.   
  
Zelda’s lip warbled at her look and before she knew it she was in the other woman’s arms, bawling and blubbering about her troubles.   
  
Impa sighed softly and just brushed Zelda’s hair back as she listened. She prayed for peace to fall over her friend and that she wouldn’t fall into a panic attack. That wouldn’t do her any good.

 

“Deep breaths.” She reminded Zelda as she cried, tightening her hold on the Hylian woman. Zelda gave a weak nod and tried to breath, yet her heart pounded as her throat tightened. Breathing was becoming hard, t-the room seemed to be spinning-   
  
Impa gently shook Zelda and told her sternly, “Stay with me! You’re making a mountain out of a molehill Zelda!”   
  
“S-sorry!” She panted, struggling to stand on two legs. Impa frowned and lifted her best friend up into a bridal style carry.    
Zelda held on weakly as Impa carried her off to her office and sat her down in her office chair.   
  
Now seated, Zelda gripped the armrests of her chair and breathed as slowly as possible, in and out. It took five minutes but eventually she was calm enough to make coherent sentences. Zelda’s fingers wove themselves into her strawberry blonde bun and tugged as she tried to make sense of her Hellish morning.   
  
“Just like that there were are! On the front cover of a tabloid--the whole world being told that we’re a couple! It’s just madness!”   
  
“Indeed.” Impa agreed with a swift nod, feeling puzzled. How strange. The paparazzi must be eager for some sort of story that would make all of Hyrule buzz. 

 

“You don’t believe it do you?!” Zelda demanded to know, looking lucid. Impa shook her head.   
“Of course not. What a ridiculous notion.”   
  
There was a pause before Impa placed her hands on Zelda’s shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes, her lips in a tight frown.   
  
“You need to calm down. This isn’t the end of the world.” She sighed and thought back on a conversation she had had late last night with her friend, Nabooru. Nabooru had already told her about the story. She had explained that Ganondorf was aware of the possible scandal and that the two had discussed it. Beyond that though… She wasn’t sure how the CEO had taken the tabloid’s story. His reaction was a complete mystery to Impa.   
  
“I know but if feels like it right now.” Zelda sighed quietly, knuckles turning white as she gripped the armrests. Impa felt a pang of sympathy in her heart and gently grasped Zelda’s hands and pulled them off the armrests.   
  
Taking Zelda’s hands in her own she squeezed them and whispered gently, “I knew about the story before you came in. Nabooru told me of it last night.”   
  
Zelda perked up at that news and stared, slack jawed. Impa was mysterious, that was for sure. Yet how long had she and Nabooru been friends?! This was news to her!   
  
“You’re friends with Nabooru?!” She asked incredulously, shock written all over her face. Impa gave a simple nod.   
  
“Indeed. We have a few things in common I suppose.” She spoke no more of the subject of their friendship and instead told Zelda, “She told me that Ganondorf knows about the story. Beyond that I do not know what his reaction is.”   
  
Zelda took her glasses off--her vision swam with them on. This made her feel even worse. He knew?! Great. That was just  _ peachy. _

 

“I’m sure he took it well.” Zelda answered sarcastically, looking away from Impa at the blurry wall beside them. Impa frowned more and squeezed Zelda’s hands.   
  
“I shall make sure the children do not utter a peep about the story.” She promised Zelda softly. Zelda was still shocked she hadn’t heard her students talking about it yesterday. News must not have traveled about the school then. Or it had and no one wanted to be the first to speak up about the subject. 

 

“Thank you.” Zelda’s lips twitched into a half smile, half frown. She took her hands away and hugged her arms with a sigh, “What am I going to do now?” She paused for a moment before asking quietly, “Dare I… Make correspondence with him?”   
  
“Face to face or over the phone?” Impa questioned quietly.

 

“... Over the phone would be more convenient.” 

 

“I doubt he has a phone.” Impa pointed out, “You’d have to use a crystal ball.”   
  
“That can be arranged.” Zelda answered stiffly, squirming in her seat. No. Problem. She’d contact him… Somehow. She supposed Link could give her his personal number in order for them to have a chat through the magic crystal.

 

Silence surrounded them for a few moments till Zelda slipped her glasses back on and tried to give Impa a friendly smile.   
  
“Thank you for helping me this morning.” She sighed softly and attempted to keep her voice even and her attitude calm, “You’re very good at keeping a cool head.”   
  
“I try.” Impa closed her eyes and smiled briefly to herself, “Meditation helps.”   
  
“I bet.” Zelda chuckled lightly and stood up, steadying herself as she did. She didn’t have anymore time to waste on this nonsense. She had a job to do, and students to prepare for. 

 

She would get in contact with Ganondorf, make no mistake about that.

 

* * *

 Ganondorf sat in his favorite chair, a basket of yarn down by his feet. In his hands were golden knitting needles that busily knitted away at some green yarn. He had promised himself that with the rest of his free time, he would indeed knit Link a sweater. 

Besides… Zelda may want to see that. He had told her this was something he was going to do.

 

Ganondorf looked away and gripped the needles tighter. He couldn’t think about her right now. Not while a scandal was brewing. Instead he focused on his stitch work and the sounds of Link playing with his toys in his room. Smiling to himself, the Gerudo switched stations on his radio and listened to the gentle hum of traditional Gerudo music ringing through the air. The percussion, the beautiful harmonies of the singers--it brought to him peace and tranquility with a tinge of homesickness. 

Soon, he told himself, he and Link would visit the Desert. That day would not be this month, however. 

 

The music brought to Ganondorf thoughts concerning the upcoming choir festival. He was curious to see how it would go. How all those cultures would be represented by the children. He supposed he was excited to see a predominately Hylian school celebrating all the cultures throughout Hyrule. There was nothing wrong with exposing  _ those _ children to other cultures besides their own.

 

He had to wonder though, what Link’s role in the festival would be. He felt himself smile more. Knowing Zelda, she had something planned for him. She wouldn’t dare have him be left out now would she?

 

Zelda… He supposed this whole mess wasn’t her fault. She was merely being charitable in sharing her umbrella. She could have left him out in the rain, yet she didn’t. Her charity had been taken out of context, broken up and twisted into this stupid little story. A story he assumed the public was eating up.    
He felt tempted to bring this tabloid to financial ruin. Besmirch their name and run their photographers out of town. Yet that wouldn’t look very good on his part. That could give the impression to potential partners that any businesses that soiled his name were in danger of slander and bankruptcy.    
  
Ganondorf swallowed thickly and glared at nothing in particular. Of course they would think that. Hmph. Ridiculous.    
  
He felt the urge to fume over this more when he heard the melodic tinkling of one of his crystal balls. This one was on a pedestal in the corner of the living room. It glowed a bright blue as an incoming call sounded softly.    
  
Ganondorf sighed and put his knitting down inside its basket. He stood up and sauntered over to the ball, picking it up and bringing it over to the couch. Sitting down, he placed it on the coffee table and answered it with an annoyed grunt, “Yes? What is it-”   
  
He paused mid sentence and stared. There she was, the root of his problems, the invasive thoughts in his mind.

Zelda Harkinian.

 

Giving a short huff, he was about to ask her how she got his number when she couldn’t help but giggle at his attire.

 

She herself was dressed in what he assumed were pajamas. Some sort of flimsy sky blue shirt with frogs all across it. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. 

 

He snarled lowly when she asked with another giggle, “W-what are you wearing?!”

 

“Casual attire.” He growled lowly, adjusting his leopard spotted headscarf, “Is that how you greet someone?”   
  
“N-no!” Zelda couldn’t help but burst into laughter. She couldn’t imagine Ganondorf in casual attire! S-so to see him like this!   
  
Ganondorf scowled, brows furrowed angrily, “What do you want?! I’m busy!”   
  
“I-I’m sure!” Zelda tried to pull herself together, taking a few deep breaths. Sighing softly, she hugged her arms and looked away for a moment, “I… So you read the story I presume?”   
  
“Of course I did.” Ganondorf ran a hand down his face with a loud sigh, “I’m debating suing for defamation of character… Somehow. Or I could run their shady business to the ground. I bet they’ve committed tax fraud-”

  
“You don’t have to do that!” Zelda interrupted quickly, guilt and horror shocking her system. She couldn’t imagine so many people losing their jobs over night like that! Yes their story was making her feel terrible, yet.. It was simply people doing their jobs…

 

“Of course I won’t.” Ganondorf snorted with a glare at nothing in particular. A twinge of surprise struck him. He wasn’t sure why he had expected Zelda to agree with him. Truthfully she was nothing less than incredibly kind and caring. Of course she wouldn’t abide by the idea of him persecuting a bunch of amature reporters.   
“Still,” He spoke up after a long pause, “I’m surprised that you want me to be merciful towards them.”

 

Zelda gave a slight smile and nodded, yawning softly, “Well I do. Yes they’ve made me feel terrible,” She bit her lip before continuing, “But I have to be the better person. I can’t let them get to me and neither should you.”

 

Ganondorf was struck by her words of wisdom, he had to admit. She was good, almost too good, at being forgiving. He gave a curt nod and decided to agree with her, “You’re right. I’ll try and keep that in mind as we… Face this scandal together.”

 

Zelda flushed with surprise and gave a wide eyed nod. Scandal… Together… Facing this scandal together! Oh Goddesses! 

 

“If you’re so sure.” She swallowed thickly and looked away, gripping her pant legs. She was grateful for his support… His friendship.   
  
“This isn’t going to be too much of a pain is it?” She asked quietly, wanting to make sure Ganondorf wouldn’t back out.   
  
“I’ve been through worse.” He snorted and sat back. He couldn’t believe he was caring for her, “Is that all?” 

 

“Yeah….” She rubbed her hands together and smiled a little, “Link is alright, yes?”   
  
Ganondorf perked up a bit, grateful for her concern. He gave a curt nod and promised quietly, “Always.”   
  
The two sat in an awkward silence before Ganondorf gave a snort, “Alright, good night.”   
  
“Good night. Sweet dreams.” She gave a small smile that had Ganondorf feeling strange. 

He gave another nod and looked away for a moment before mumbling, “Sleep well.”   
  
With that they both hung up, feeling strange as they both continued with their nights.   
  


* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! My online classes are kinda getting intense so I might wait to post chapter 9 of the story on the 20th instead of the 13th. This decision isn't finalized or certain, yet I decided it was best to let you guys know in advance. Anyways, happy reading and reviewing!


	9. Transition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda has the children do a runthrough of the upcoming choir festival while Link and Sidon discuss the scandal. Koume and Kotake give their son a call.

 

The gentle breezes of a starting September Autumn gave way to October’s cool grasp. Leaves fell from the trees and escaped on the wind as early morning frosts stole away the green grass. Desert nights chilled the Gerudo to the bone, while the sea foam on the coast of the Great Sea crashed up against weathered stones. 

As every Hyrulean knew, with October came everyone’s favorite holiday, Mask Day. 

 

At the end of the month was Mask Day. A legend was told on that day of the imaginary land of Termina and a moon that hung above it, threatening to fall. No one was sure where this place was thought up. Many connected it to the legends regarding the Legendary Hero. Yet as his name soon escaped Hyrulean history, so did the correct details of his adventures. So Termina became one of those legends and from that adventure came the perils of Mask Day.

 

The Populous of Castle Town loved to get the festivities for Mask Day started in advance. Already at the beginning of the month various houses and buildings were decorated. Many hung masks outside their doors to match intricate designs carved into pumpkins. Tradition had it that you should build or purchase a scarecrow out of straw and hang it outside your home. Scary decorations based off of Poes, Keeses, Skultulas, Moblins, and Stalfos decorated many homes. Jack-o-Lanterns were said to ward off their evil and keep neighborhoods safe.

 

Finally there was the best part of Mask Day; Dressing up in costumes. Most tried to decorate in a costume centered around their mask. Of course, there were two figures that were revered yet terrified the people as a subject for their costumes; Demise and Majora.

 

Many people did not believe in Demise’s evil any more. While various religious Hylians did, other races or non religious individuals didn’t. Meanwhile Majora was only spoken of in legend. Most weren’t sure if such an evil existed. Demons? The ideas of fairy tales surely.

 

Of course such demons were deemed too frightening for the children of Castle Town Elementary. That was what Zelda thought as she continued pasting up decorations inside the choir room and the hallway right outside it. She chuckled to herself as she placed up a cutesy looking Stalfos against the glass beside the choir room door. All along the walls of the choir room hung lights and pumpkin themed tinsel she had managed to convince Impa to put up.

 

Impa was working on hanging some keese from the ceiling, her red eyes fixed in concentration. Zelda turned and smiled to herself at the sight. Of course Impa was having fun- She loved the month of Mask Day! 

 

Zelda adjusted her glasses and grinned, admiring her attire. It was getting colder out so that meant only one thing! Cozy sweaters~ She wore an old looking orange sweater dotted in candy corn and black cats. It was too big for her, stretching down to her thighs while the sleeves went past her hands. Sadly her sleeves covered up her nails, which were painted black and orange.

Of course the outfit was topped with a cutesy moblin decoration in her hair.

 

In the following weeks the paparazzi had given up trying to convince anyone that she and Ganondorf were an item. If they were, the public had lost interest. The peace and the lack of gossip following the first week of the story was a relief; and it was all thanks to Ganondorf.

 

Zelda had to admit, his plan was genius. Instead of acknowledging what had happened or trying to do a press release, they both ignored it. Ganondorf decided it would be best if they didn’t see one another for a few weeks until the scandal cooled off--once that happened they could resume meet ups in public or in private and not worry about intrepid reporters harassing them. Zelda was fine with it, and she had made sure to tell Link what was going on. Link seemed to understand it was for the best and offered to send letters between the two. She couldn’t help but find that cute and decided to send at least one--along with a batch of cookies she had made. She wondered if Ganondorf had eaten one yet.

 

N-not that she cared if he did! He didn’t have to indulge in this silly little letter writing! He seemed busy- she hadn’t gotten a reply back despite Link insisting his father had read it.

 

Ears heating up in embarrassment, Zelda shook her head and tried not to contemplate Ganondorf. They were just… Good acquaintances. She was sure he didn’t see them as anything other than that.

 

Zelda fiddled with another decoration from her box, her mind swirling with anxious thoughts. Impa’s soft yet firm voice broke her out of her trance.   
  
“Zelda.”   
  
She jumped and turned to face the Sheikah woman, her cheeks flushing slightly. She gave a sheepish grin, “Yes?”   
  
“We better pack these decorations up for now.”    
  
Zelda tried not to giggle a little. She had to admit, seeing the ever serious Impa wearing cat ears and a cat themed sweater made her a little harder to take seriously. She was grateful Impa loved to get into the spirit of Mask Day!

 

“Oh I know.” Zelda sighed softly and looked over at their decorations fondly. Stretching down, she gathered up their box and pulled it up. Zelda padded over to the ladder and held it up so Impa could send some of the hangibles down. Watching them float down into the box, Zelda gently dropped it down and held the ladder so Impa could step down safely. 

 

Impa quirked a brow at Zelda while swiftly descending the ladder. She could tell something was on Zelda’s mind.

 

Impa had relieved in the past month that her older sister Purah had been alright. She didn’t want to worry Zelda with the details, but her sister had gotten a little too carried away with experiments. It had lead to some harder times in Kakariko Village. Many Sheikah and Hylians had worried her sister would be worse for wear from her experiments, yet she soon healed and seemed healthy again.   
She supposed Zelda’s prayers had worked. 

 

With her good fortune in mind she set her sights back on Zelda, who was packing up their decoration boxes. Zelda…. Her closest friend. Ganondorf Dragmire seemed to be a new challenge in Zelda’s life that Impa wasn’t sure she was ready to face. She was relieved that the drama surrounding their “romance” had died off as a new celebrity scandal took its place. However, she could tell Zelda was growing increasingly distracted by his presence.

 

She knew how lonely Zelda felt, in her apartment alone. She supposed it made sense that Zelda was intrigued by an older, richer man that had everything she could want; a stable home, more prestige, mystery, and most importantly, a child. Zelda’s attachment towards Link was somewhat a sign of favoritism, yet also wish fulfillment. Impa remembered with a worried frown, all those times they had stayed up late talking. 

 

Zelda would always mention that she wished she had the courage to go on more dates. Of course now that she had gone out to lunch with another man, it was possible Zelda’s dream was going to become a reality.

 

Impa thought long and hard. Could that be? She knew Zelda wouldn’t mind a relationship… Yet to date a man with a big career and a disabled child? Would Zelda be ready for such hefty commitments? Impa couldn’t be too sure.

 

Zelda may be strong in spirit but was she in mind? In heart?

 

Impa pulled herself out of her thoughts as the bell rang, signaling “passing time.” She regarded Zelda in silence for a moment before breaking some uneasiness that was starting to linger in the room, “Are you excited for the rehearsal today?”

 

Zelda perked up and adjusted her glasses with a budding grin, “I-I suppose I am! Oh Impa, the children seem to love the songs! Don’t you agree?”

 

Impa gave a curt nod, wearing a small smile, “They are. Hopefully they’ll be quiet and listen.”

 

Zelda snorted and shook her head, rolling her eyes in amusement, “I doubt that. They’re first through fourth graders.”

Impa’s smile grew as she gave an amused look, “We can always dream.”

 

Zelda gave a soft laugh, feeling at ease. Impa could be such a riot when she wished to be!

  
Chatter filled up the hallway as various lines of children were lead to and from class rooms. Link couldn’t help but babble with Sidon in the middle of their line. Everyone was excited over Mask Day! Of course there was the school’s Mask Day celebration coming up in a week or two when everyone would be allowed to dress up! The best part of Mask Day at school was the big party and the costume parade. After the party they’d all march outside and leave the school to show off their costumes to the residents of the local nursing home.    
It helped that most residents handed out huge chocolate bars or tasty fruit dishes!

 

“I think I’m going to dress up as an Octorok this year!” Sidon explained giddily, bouncing up and down as his head tail wagged. Link smiled softly and gave an eager nod. He explained that he was going to dress up as the Fierce Deity.

 

Medli gasped softly and questioned with a tilt of her head, “Eh? Are you sure you can do that?!”

 

Sidon guffawed and gave Medli a toothy grin, “Of course Link can! If you can dress up as Lord Jabu Jabu, then he can dress up as the Fierce Deity!” 

 

Medli didn’t seem convinced and merely shook her head with a sigh. Link tried his best to smile… Yet he was starting to feel distracted.

 

His father hadn’t mentioned Zelda much lately. He knew why, sure, but still… What if Ganondorf lost interest in Zelda? Link shuddered at the thought…   
The young boy knew that many women were interested in his father. Of course they would be! His Papa was the coolest! Despite that… Their interest didn’t seem genuine. Most of those ladies ignored Link when trying to talk to his Papa. Link didn’t like that.

 

Zelda was one of the few people he knew to treat his father as a person, not a checking account number.

 

That’s why Link hoped… That the Festival would bring the two closer together than before. He didn’t want Zelda to avoid his Papa just because some jerks with cameras made them feel scared!

 

That’s why his conducting solo at the concert… It had to be amazing! Otherwise his Papa would lose interest in Miss Harkinian….

 

Link’s face grew more serious as his hands fell to his sides. He felt more determined now than ever to make sure his conducting would be correct.

 

Sidon flashed a toothy smirk,  regarding Medli with an eager bark,“Maybe you should dress up as Revali! I’m not sure you’re Zora enough to-” 

 

The Rito’s girls feathers puffed up as she wore an irritated pout while huffing, “To dress up as Lord Jabu Jabu?! Other people are allowed to see him too!”

 

“Yeah but he’s  _ our _ god, not your’s!” Sidon cackled, turning to Link with a toothy smirk, “Aren’t I right Link?!”

 

Link stared ahead and didn’t answer. He felt more and more nervous the longer he thought about the Festival. His Father would be there, judging from the crowd. He was so cool and perfect! Link didn’t want to mess up in front of him… O-of course his Papa would love him no matter what! But he didn’t want to disappoint him… Then Miss Harkinian would be ashamed if he messed up, then his friends wouldn’t want to talk to him-

 

Sidon gasped as he watched tears well up in Link’s watery eyes. What was going on?! If anyone made his Link cry he would make them pay!

 

His friends shared a concern look before Medli took his hand. Luckily the other classmates in their line didn’t seem to notice.

 

“Link?” Medli asked gently, squeezing his hand. Her golden eyes were filled with concern as she watched Link try to smile and rub furiously at his eyes.   
  
Sidon frowned anxiously. Maybe Link was just worried about the Festival? Sidon swallowed thickly as a nervous grin crept onto his face. T-the festival! W-well he had a solo too and he didn’t want to mess it up either! What would Mipha or his Papa say if he messed his big solo up!

 

“I-Is it the festival?” Sidon stammered, interrupting Medli as she hummed softly and tried to help Link calm down. Medli sighed softly and felt a bit amused at Sidon’s odd behavior. He was pretty transparent!

 

Link started to smile a bit and gave a small nod. By now their line was filing into the choir room with the other children. Link tried not to feel uneasy as a few fourth graders regarded them oddly. 

The Hylian signed all about his worries once he knew no one but his friends was looking. Sidon reacted with anger at the injustice those, “Dirty, photo taker guys!” Which caused Medli to lightly slap Sidon with her wing. The Zora yelled that she was being rude while she rolled her eyes and placed her hands on Link’s shoulders.

 

“They’re still friends Link! That’s up to them not us.” Medli tried to explain with a small smile, “That’s what my grandma says-- you can’t force things to happen.”

 

Link nodded slowly, trying to make sense of her words. Still… He was wracked with doubts. 

He wasn’t sure what he would do if his Father didn’t make any friends. He wanted Ganondorf to be happy again.  
__

* * *

  
Ganondorf felt years of his life waste away as he watched his mothers bicker back and forth with one another. The three were talking via crystal ball… Reminding Ganondorf how much of a blessing it could be, no longer living at home.

 

“Dearest sister! We know Link loves me more! I am his favorite Great great great great great great great grandmother!” Kotake cackled, causing Koume to screech angrily.   
  
“No no no! You’re lying!”

 

“I don’t lie nearly as often as you do!” Kotake howled with laughter.   
  
“Me?! What would I have to lie about! You make me look good in comparison!” Koume screeched shrilly. Ganondorf winced and felt himself twitch in irritably. 

 

“Nonsense nonsense! Link gets his smarts from me!” Kotake squawked, waving her arms about. Her sister yelled and chattered that it wasn’t true. Ganondorf ran a hand through his hair and wondered if he should remind them that Link was  _ adopted. _

 

_ Besides. He gets his smarts from his father. Clearly I have out mastered you both in magic.  _ Ganondorf contemplated with a swell of pride.

 

Having enough of their bickering, Ganondorf gave them a glare and spoke up roughly, “I called you to discuss the upcoming music festival at Link’s school!”

 

The Twinrova stopped arguing for a moment, their faces lighting up. If there was one thing they agreed on it was this; They loved to spoil Link.

 

“And he will be getting a solo yes yes?!” Kotake demanded, causing Ganondorf to smirk.

 

“Of course,” He sneered, feeling proud, “Link is incredibly intelligent. If his teacher should know anything, it’s to give him a solo.”

 

“Exactly exactly!” Kotake cackled eagerly, looking excited, “Ooo! I suppose his awful Hylian school cannot be that bad!”   
“Indeed sister indeed!” Koume nodded, closing her eyes and relaxing. Ganondorf felt himself relax at his desk as he spoke to his mothers.

 

Sure. Their arguing got very old, very quick… But he had to keep himself in check. It would be rude to speak that way to your elders.

 

“I’m sure Link can’t wait to see you again.” Ganondorf nodded, leaning back at his work desk. He took a breath of relief. He had been afraid at first that his mothers had called in regards to… That scandal. To his surprise they hadn’t. They were eager to bring the family along for a visit.

 

The Gerudo supposed it had been awhile since his family had come into the City to visit he and Link. Link did ask constantly if they could visit Gerudo Town. Always missing his cousins. Ganondorf couldn’t help but find that cute.

 

Ganondorf was pulled away from his thoughts as his mothers shrieked eagerly in unison, “Fufufu! Of course we miss our grandson! The village does as well!”

 

“That’s why we’re all coming to see Link perform!” Kotake cackled with glee, causing Koume to spark up with jealousy.    
  
Ganondorf felt his eyes widen in surprise as the Gerudo elder screeched in anger, “Eh?! I wanted to break the news!” 

  
“Well don’t just sit there with your mouth open then! You’ll catch flies with how big your mouth is!”   
  
“Shut up shut up Kotake!”

 

Ganondorf tuned them out as he thought this over. The whole village… He would have to tell Nabooru this immediately. He tried not to stress out over the manner--surely he would make room for all his family.

 

“Will the weather be merciful for your travels?” He asked quietly, trying not to feel… Worried. No, he was never worried.    
  
No amount of denial would push those thoughts away. Suddenly his office, his mothers bickering felt very distant. He couldn’t stop wondering what they would say--what his people would say if they knew of the scandal. If they knew of his… Friendship, with Link’s teacher. Had the tabloids news reached Gerudo Valley? No, no it couldn’t have could it? It took days, weeks, even months for proper news to reach his people. Men were still barred from entering Gerudo Town without permission.

 

Yet the thoughts continued to cycle. Ganondorfs hands gripped the armrests of his chair as his vision swimmed. As his pulse increased-

 

“Ganondorf Kafili Dragmire!” Kotake squawked, causing him to jump. His face heated up slightly from the use of his middle name.

 

“Yes?” He cleared his throat and put on a stoic facade. A glare crossed his face after a moment as his mothers simply gave each other a look, “What is it?”

 

“We shall let you know who can attend! It is next week correct?” Koume asked, falling somewhat quiet. Ganondorf raised a brow.

 

“Yes. Correct. Thank you mother.”   
  
“Of course!” Koume smirked for a moment before growing serious. She and Kotake shared a look before regarding their son.   
“Is everything alright?” Kotake asked after a small pause. Ganondorf nodded without hesitation.

 

“Of course. I just….” He thought up a quick lie and looked at his watch. His lunch break wasn’t done for another fifteen minutes, “I have to be going to a meeting soon.”   
  
The Twinrova narrowed their eyes suspiciously before nodding in unison, “We see.”   
  
Ganondorf rolled his eyes and growled lowly, “Just don’t forget to pick up a gift for Link. You know he wishes he could be home.”   
  
“Yes yes! We would never forget a gift for our precious Link!” They squawked, looking outraged. Ganondorf snorted and gave a curt nod.   
  
“Thank you. See you soon.” Without another word he hung up.

 

The Gerudo leaned back in his chair. The world felt as though it would crash on his shoulders at any moment.

  
_ What an ironic analogy during the month of Mask Day. _

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is such a short/filler chapter. More exciting things will be coming soon!


	10. The Autumn Celebration Concert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf and his extended family attend the Autumn Celebration Concert.

“I can’t see I can’t see!” Kotake squawked, shoving her sister down in order to get a better view of the stage.

 

Koume shrieked with anger and shoved her sister aside, barking desperately, “We should move up a row, Ganondorf! It’s too crowded back here!”   
  
Ganondorf rubbed his temples lightly, giving a low groan as he adjusted himself in his seat. All the other parents were already starting to stare….. For once could his mothers not constantly argue…

Then again they had already started staring when he and his large family had walked inside.

 

_ Could they make this school any shorter?  _ The Gerudo mused. Of course he and his family had to duck down in order not to hit the hallway ceiling. He and Nabooru couldn’t help but chuckle to one another as their cousins complained about the, “fragility and idiotic designs of Hylian architecture.”    
If only they knew how troublesome areas such as libraries, banks and hospitals were.

 

“We’ll draw more attention if we move any closer.” Ganondorf tried to explain. He rolled his eyes as his mothers cackled and argued that he should be grateful for his prestige. 

 

Nabooru shot him an amused grin just before her mother, Laroba leaned in to pipe up, “Well I find this to be a fine spot, elders.”

 

“Sav’! I do not wish to move!” One of Ganondorf’s aunts piped up with a huff. Smoothing down her skirt, she shot the Twinrova a look, “Now stop arguing! We have all graciously been given the opportunity to see the little one perform!”

 

Ganondorf felt himself grow self conscious as various cousins, aunts, and other relatives began to thank him for paying for their transportation. His ears heated up as various Hylians, Gorons, and Rito around them stared at the sight. Two or more rows of bleachers had been taken up by the large group of Gerudo. Various other Gerudo that lived in Castle Town had also decided to sit around them and catch up with the family. The Gerudo were known for being tight knit.

 

Still… Ganondorf wished he wasn’t receiving so much attention. It was bad enough various single mothers had attempted to hit on him and snag his number. It was another thing entirely to be gawked at for having such a different culture from those annoying, judgemental, narrow minded Hylians-

 

Nabooru’s grip on his hand interrupted him from his stewing resentment. He quirked a brow down at her and said nothing. The corners of her lips curled upwards slightly.

 

“You need to take deep breaths.” She advised, squeezing his hand, “You’re getting tense.”

 

Ganondorf sat back and flexed his legs, feeling uncomfortable. He scowled, gritting his fangs as he remembered all the whispers. All the stares as he had walked in. Much to his displeasure, all those rumors of he and Zelda’s relationship had not completely gone away.

 

_ So much for spending time apart. _

 

He gripped Nabooru’s hand back as his gaze became unsteady. Of course the bored, tabloid hungry public would be desperate to hear about his love life. Figures they would snap at the first chance they got to make assumptions of his character. To make assumptions of his relationships. Ironically, that didn’t stop the desperate single mothers to continue hitting on him whenever he attended a school function.

 

Nabooru watched Ganondorf in concern. He was being much more quiet than usual--well, when they had stepped through the school doors at least. He hadn’t acted that way when everyone had arrived at his home.

 

_ If Link were here he wouldn’t be so anxious. _ Nabooru thought, closing her eyes for a moment. Yes, that had to be part of it. Of course it wasn’t hard denying that his fame was making things difficult as well. 

Nabooru couldn’t count how many times Ganondorf had been hit on since they had arrived at the school.

 

The impish Gerudo sighed, her thoughts wandering as she wondered why she hadn’t received any attention yet from the single mothers or fathers…

 

Blushing slightly, Nabooru straightened and shook her head quickly. Focus! They were all here for Ganondorf and Link, not her love life!

 

Although she couldn’t help but eye Impa eagerly from across the room..

 

Both Gerudo became distracted for quite awhile till Ganondorf noticed Zelda peeking out from behind the stage curtain. He felt himself tense up as she caught his gaze and stared for a moment before looking away. Neither of them had spoken to one another in a while…

  
Ganondorf frowned, a sudden wave of guilt crashing against him. Link must have been assuming the worst lately in regards to that. 

 

Why. Why must she be his favorite teacher out of all the ones in this accursed school. 

 

“Ah Ganondorf! Fancy seeing you and your family here!” A familiar voice called out, causing Ganondorf to swiftly turn his gaze upwards. 

_ Excellent. A distraction--thank the Din for that I suppose. _

 

He raised his brows as he watched Governor Dorephan waddle over slowly, his daughter at his side. She held his webbed hand as the other gripped his cane. The blue zora was huge, his whale like features hard to miss. Ganondorf had to wonder how he had managed to get into this cramped building in the first place.

 

Realizing he hadn’t replied yet, he ignored the whisperings of his family members as he answered with a curt nod, “Indeed. It is excellent to see you here,” He wore a ghost of a smile, “Link has told me much about Sidon’s solo.”

 

Mipha’s face brightened as her father gave a deep laugh that rattled the gymnasium walls, “Oh yes! We always knew little Sidon had it in him!”

 

“All that energy had to go somewhere.” Mipha added, chuckling softly as she lead her father over to a special seat towards the back that had been prepared for him. Ganondorf had to wonder what would happen if the large Zora had tried to sit down on the bleachers. He almost wished that would happen.

 

“Link’s little friend has a solo?” Nabooru quirked a brow and grinned. She cooed playfully in Ganondorf’s ear, “Isn’t that precious~”

 

Ganondorf snorted and nodded, “I suppose. Sidon is a nice young man.”

 

“He and Link sure are cute together~” Nabooru snickered, causing Ganondorf to turn away from her with an amused snort. Of course they were--Link was cute in general.

 

With thoughts of Sidon and Link’s friendship lingering in his mind, Ganondorf cut through the chatters and whispers of his family and called out to Dorephan, “Is Sidon eager to perform this afternoon?”

 

“Certainly!” Dorephan chuckled deeply, smiling down affectionately at his daughter, “He’s been babbling nonstop about it, hasn’t he Mipha?”

 

“He has.” Mipha agreed, smiling softly in Ganondorf’s direction, “He begged me to go over his solo with him on the carriage ride over here.”

 

“I can see that.” Ganondorf chuckled slightly, imagining the eager Zora. Out of all of Link’s friends, he enjoyed seeing Sidon play with Link the most. The two seemed to share such a deep bond… It made him suspect….  _ Something. _

 

Ganondorf furrowed his brows in thought before shaking his head. Nonsense. They were merely children. Link was too young to care about dating or relationships.

Falling silent for awhile, the Gerudo lazily watched his family talk among himself. His mothers continued to bicker, his aunts, cousins, and nieces continued babble about their trips and the sights to see in Castle Town. Ganondorf couldn’t help but feel curious as he caught Nabooru staring at a Sheikah woman handing out programs in the doorway. 

  
He had felt compelled to ask, yet before he could the doors started to shut as the last of parents and families began to file in. Ganondorf tapped his foot impatiently and checked his watch. Figures Zelda would start this festival late.

 

On stage, Zelda twiddled anxiously with her hair. This was it--she had the children waiting in the hallway, impatient to get on stage. Her stomach rolled as she smoothed her dress. Pink with white frills, patterned in lilies, the skirt clinging to her legs. More spring time than Autumn she supposed…

 

Her attempts at distraction weren’t working. She had been hearing the parents whispers. She had seen  _ him _ out in the audience. 

Ganondorf was a man of his word, this was true. 

 

Of course she was more shocked by the entourage of family he had brought with him to fill out the bleachers. Oh she hoped Link wouldn’t get stage fright during his solo…

 

Zelda bit her lip and adjusted her glasses, turning on high heels to go get the students. She had to focus--she couldn’t afford to let the gossip bother her. The public could think what they wanted. Zelda knew what the truth of her relationship with Ganondorf really was.

 

Outside in the hallway, Link bounced on his heels. Dressed in a cute green suit and striped tie, he couldn’t help but feel like a star! He shared a giddy look with Sidon, who had on shimmering silver jewelry. Of course the shining silver matched his big grin! Or at least that’s what Link thought!

 

Link hugged Sidon’s arm eagerly, legs shaking with nerves. He still couldn’t get over the fact all his aunts, cousins, great aunts and so many more had shown up just to see him! It was such an honor! He couldn’t wait to see what kind of gifts Grandmother Twinrova had brought with them to their house! Link tried to get a peek before breakfast this morning, but of course his Papa hadn’t let him.

 

“Your family looks like it’s filling up the gym!” Sidon laughed, hugging Link’s arm in return. He grinned widely as Link laughed and gave an eager nod.

 

He couldn’t help but joke that Dorephan filled up the gym as well.

 

Hearing that, Sidon gave Link a playful smack on the shoulder and cackled, “Hey! Watch it Link! My Dad could swat your’s like a fly!”

 

Link shook his head and giggled. That was hilarious! No one was a match for his Papa’s power and strength! 

 

The two held onto each other until Zelda poked her head out to greet all the children filling up the halls. Impa strode over to meet the wave of kids, gently walking through them to get to the anxious Hylian.

 

“The doors are shut. Everything should be ready.” Impa reported, adjusting her suit jacket.

 

Zelda gave a kind smile and nodded, reaching out to squeeze Impa’s hand. She leaned in and whispered, “Thank you. Let’s get the children in order.”

 

Impa’s lips flickered up into a smile for a moment as she squeezed back. Letting Zelda’s hand go, she turned around and barked at the children to get into position. Various jokers and stragglers snapped into attention, trying their best to fall into line. What few children who didn’t listen were swiftly nudged into line by the observant Sheikah. 

In less than five minutes, the children were ready to go.

 

Opening the doors up, Zelda shivered with excitement. 

 

_ Get it together Zelda!  _ She thought with a determined furrow of her brows, _ You’ve done plenty this Festival before! _

 

Zelda lead the way inside, grasping her and Link’s batons. She turned back for a moment to gaze out at her prized pupil. She had sensed… Anxiety in him recently. A bit of sadness. She bit he lip for a moment, wondering if she should talk with Ganondorf after the show….

 

The distracted Hylian shook her head, smoothing down her skirt as she walked towards the curtained stage. No time for that now. She had a concert to conduct!

 

Impa slid backstage and made her way over to curtain ropes. Glancing Zelda’s way, she watched the Hylian give her a thumbs up to signal they were ready. Without wasting a second Impa pulled the rope and peeled the curtains back. The parents clapped eagerly as they saw their children standing on the risers.

 

Zelda smiled warmly, walking towards her music stand. She gestured to their pianist, Anju, who gave an eager wave. Feeling at ease, Zelda placed the conducting batons down before grasping the microphone beside her stand.

 

“Greetings! I am honored to see so many supportive families, new families, and new faces!” Zelda giggled softly and tried her best to keep her voice even. She couldn’t help but gaze out and meet Ganondorf’s judgemental gaze. She paused, eyes darting away as she continued, “This Autumn Celebration Concert’s theme is focused on world peace. Each of my classes and I have come up with a nice selection of songs from various cultures in Hyrule! Please feel free to read the translations provided in your programs as we present each piece.” Zelda smiled sweetly as she finished, “Starting with our first song, “Zelda’s Lullabye.” 

 

The crowd rang out with applause as Zelda placed the microphone down and shut it off. Taking out her baton, her eyes were drawn over to Ganondorf one last time. Her ears reddened slightly as she saw him lean in with furrowed brows.

 

Feeling pressured to do well, Zelda raised a hand up and started the first song. 

 

Link straightened up eagerly, gazing out at his father with pride. He swayed to the music and mouthed the words despite being unable to sing. What did it matter--you could love being in choir even if you couldn’t sing! Link shook with excitement as he saw his Father return his gaze with a soft smile. Yes! Papa loved the concert so far! That was good! His solo couldn’t go wrong then!

 

A plan started to form in Link’s mind as he thought about his solo. It would be easy to drag his Papa over to reunite with Miss Harkinian. How to get past all those family members though--that would be tricky!

 

Eventually the peaceful tune came to a close, leading to thunderous applause. Sidon swallowed thickly as he gave Link a nervous grin. Link flashed an encouraging smile, moving over slightly so the Zora boy could step down off the risers and make his way towards the front of the stage.

 

“Our next song is a Zora classic, “Serenade of Water!” Zelda introduced, beaming proudly down at Sidon, “Sung by our first soloist, Sidon!” 

 

Dorephan whistled eagerly, clapping his hands so hard that the room shook. Various children in the gym giggled from the vibrations. Sidon felt a twinge of anxiety that soon disappeared as Mipha gave him a comforting smile. H-he would just focus on his sister! That was bound to help! 

 

The Zora stood up straight and proud, his head tail thumping as he sang the first lyrics of the Serenade, “To the Great Bay, Zoras shall play. Fishing they swim their days away~!” 

 

Sidon’s heart swelled with joy as his father and sister brightened from the sound of his singing voice. No nerves could make him miss a beat or a note! The other children joined in, singing happily as Zelda continued to conduct.

 

Ganondorf leaned back in his seat, stretching his legs out a bit as he watched Sidon continue to sing. He had to admit it--so far the song selection was good. Zelda was rather smart, wasn’t she.

 

The Gerudo sighed, clutching the concert program tight in his hand. Where was Link’s solo? Surely she didn’t expect him to lipsync the entire concert. 

 

He turned to gage the reactions of his family. So far his mothers seemed to be enjoying the concert--they weren’t scowling, which was good. He watched Nabooru sway gently to the music, a smile on her lips. As he glanced around the rest of his family seemed to be enjoying the folk tunes from all around Hyrule-

 

“Gan!” Nabooru hissed in his ear, grasping his hand and nudging him slightly, “Don’t start day dreaming now!”

 

Ganondorf shot her an irritable glare, rolling his eyes as he readjust himself. He wasn’t day dreaming. Nor was he worrying--he didn’t worry.

 

On stage Link teemed with nerves and excitement. Sidon ran back to his side, his head tail wagging eagerly after having been showered with thunderous applause. Link beamed and hugged Sidon’s arm, feeling excited for him. 

 

As Zelda talked about the next song, he signed to Sidon,  _ Your voice is pretty! _

 

Sidon’s face reddened as he tried not to shout happily, “T-thanks Link!”

 

The two turned to watch as Yunobo shakily took to the microphone and lead the group in the chant of “Bolero of Fire”. Link couldn’t wait! Soon he’d be leading the group in his solo!

 

Chanting resounded in the room, causing Zelda to smile as she conducted. The music seemed to be bringing the audience together! As the song came to a close she couldn’t help but smile widely. Link’s solo was coming up--she couldn’t wait to see him beam with pride as he conducted the choir.

 

The crowd applauded happily as Yunobo took a nervous bow. The Gorons in the audience howled with joy, dancing side to side while the young Goron giggled and smiled at the sight. Yunobo went to take his place back on the risers while Link eagerly hopped off them.

 

He ran over towards Zelda’s conductor stand as she moved over to grab the microphone. The two shared excited grins as Zelda took the microphone and started to address the audience.

 

Clearing her throat, Zelda explained eagerly, “Now for a catchy medly that my students can’t get enough of! We’ll be performing the “Earth God’s Lyric”  and the, “Wind God’s Aria”! Not only that,” She gestured down towards Link, who was now holding his conductor’s baton, “But we have a special soloist today! Link Dragmire has been learning how to conduct this year, and we thought it would be best if he lead us all in this song!”

 

Gerudo sounding cheers rang out in the audience as some of Link’s family began to stamp their feet in approval. Link clasped the baton eagerly in one hand, unable to stop himself from giving his father a tiny wave with the other. 

Various parents in the audience cooed and turned their attention to the CEO, who merely wore a proud smile and waved back to Link.

 

Link turned to Zelda for support, feeling nervous once more. This was it! No messing up! Zelda gave an encouraging smile and nodded, stepping aside so Link could start.

 

Link started a tempo, raising his baton up slowly. The students watched and sang eagerly as he started conducting in a 6/8 pattern.

 

Some students swayed back and forth. Some sang loudly, others soft. In that moment, as Link listened to their voices as he kept the general pulse of the song going. He felt as if he were standing on air as the sweet notes of the song swirled around him. Their voices felt warm, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

 

Ganondorf watched his son eagerly, feeling a sense of pride he hadn’t felt in quite awhile. There his son was, showing the world he was capable. That no disability would ever hold him back. 

 

He and Zelda caught one another’s gazes. Ganondorf couldn’t help but give her a small, thankful smile that caused her eyes to widen. 

 

Zelda knew she shouldn’t feel shocked. It was only natural that Ganondorf would love seeing his son perform. She just hadn’t been expecting such a n-nice smile! 

 

Once the song ended Link turned to a thunderous crowd and bowed. Without warning his family stood up and cheered, causing other families to follow. Link’s eyes widened as his cheeks reddened. H-he hadn’t expected such a reaction from the crowd! The song wasn’t that hard!

 

Link relaxed as his Father simply stood and smiled at him, clapping away. H-he had done it! There was no way his Papa would hate Miss Harkinian now!

 

As Link went back to his spot on the risers, the crowd settled down for the last song on the program, “Requiem of Spirit”. Some Gerudo sang along softly as they listened to the choir sing in their own language. 

 

Link continued to shake with nerves. He had done it. The concert was a success.

 

Zelda felt relieved, yet proud once the concert ended. All the families stood up and cheered happily with applause. She couldn’t help but inwardly thank them for their kindness and support. The show had been a success with not only them, but her children as well.

 

As the kids leaped off the risers to go and visit with their families, Zelda was surprised as Link and Sidon ran over to her instead. Just what were these two up to?

 

“Miss Harkinian! Link wants you to go out and get ice cream with his family!” Sidon barked happily, rocking back and forth on his heels. 

 

Link simply flashed a shy, yet eager grin.

 

Zelda laughed softly at the request, feeling torn. Would his family want that? Oh there were so many of them! She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear them ask her about the rumors surrounding her relationship with Ganondorf….   
  
Leaning down, Zelda gave Link a sheepish grin and tried to explain, “I’m not sure if I should-”

 

“There she is Koume! There she is! The only smart Hylian in this entire building!” Kotake’s shrill voice carried as the Twinrova flew towards the startled teacher. Zelda whipped around with owlish eyes, quickly adjusting her glasses to get a better look.

 

They seemed to be two rather old looking Gerudo on broomsticks. Dressed in old fashioned robes, the elders swirled above her and cackled eagerly, “Oh yes oh yes! There she is there she is! And our magnificent grandson as well!”

 

Link’s gaze brightened as he gave an eager wave and beckoned them down. Without another word the two tackled Link in eager hugs and affectionate face nuzzles. Zelda wasn’t sure what to make of the sight. Just how old were these two?!

 

“Mothers, please.” A familiar voice called out softly behind her. Zelda whipped around and came face to face with the man who wouldn’t leave her thoughts.

 

“ _ Mothers? _ ” Zelda asked incredulously, feeling confused. Those two seemed much too old to be anyone’s mothers! 

 

“My mothers, indeed.” Ganondorf gave a curt nod, eyeing Zelda in amusement. His look became serious as he complimented her quietly, “You did very well up there. Thank you for… Giving Link this opportunity,” He closed his eyes and smiled to himself, glowing with pride, “He was amazing up there.”

 

Zelda flushed from his words, feeling odd. She pushed the feeling aside and gave a nod as she smiled widely.

 

“I’m glad you enjoyed the program,” she responded, lacing her fingers together and squeezing her hands tight, “I-I hope the selection was to your liking!”

 

“Very diverse.” Ganondorf hummed, starting to feel awkward. This as the first time they had spoken to each other in days.

 

Without warning Link bounded over to his father and hugged his legs, causing Ganondorf to relax. He scooped Link up into a hug, chuckling as he held his son close, “I’m so proud of you. You were amazing up there, my little rasher.” 

 

Link giggled and nuzzled Ganondorf’s cheek. As usual his beard tickled! Leaning back, Link signed eagerly and asked if Zelda could go out for ice cream with the rest of their family.

 

Ganondorf raised a brow at such a request. Would Zelda want that? Would he want that? Quickly he started to shoot down Link’s request, “I’m sure Zelda has risers to put back-”

 

“Nonsense nonsense!” Koume butted in, cackling with glee, “She must come with us! It’s Link’s big moment! If he wants his teacher there then she shall be there!”

 

“For once I agree with my sister!” Kotake cackled, bobbing up and down on her broom, “The Hylian deserves to celebrate!”

 

Both Zelda and Ganondorf felt their faces heat up. It seemed Link wasn’t the only one who wanted them to get along!

 

Zelda wore a sheepish grin as she let go of her hands, “If it isn’t too much trouble to you, I wouldn’t mind coming along…”

 

Ganondorf resisted the urge to wince. Before he could try and disuade Zelda from coming along, he was met with the sight of Link giving him a puppy dog stare. Sighing softly, Ganondorf nodded and turned away from the Hylian woman.

 

“Alright. You can come along.” Ganondorf looked back at Zelda and added quietly, “And quickly. I don’t need to hear anymore rumors.”

 

Zelda’s insides writhed as she nodded. The Twinrova snickered in amusement and flew ahead of the three. 

 

Koume and Kotake couldn’t help but note that the sight of their son holding his son and walking along side the smart Hylian woman looked just right.

  
  
  


* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to heat up! Just you wait~


	11. Spicy Pepper and Chocolate Ice Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf and Zelda celebrate after the concert with his family.

 

“What about caramel mousse?” Zelda pointed out, smiling slightly up at Ganondorf. The Gerudo snorted and shook his head, not at all impressed.

 

“Far too sticky and chewy.” He huffed, smoothing down his suit jacket. 

 

Here they were, getting ice cream together after the concert. Link stood right by, licking a sample off a spoon as Sidon barked his ear off all about the concert. Ganondorf still couldn’t believe how this happened. Of course his mothers just had to intervene…

 

He directed a glare their way when he caught the crones gazing over at he and Zelda. Their whispering stopped for a moment as they glared right back, sticking their tongues out. Ganondorf sighed and turned away, brows furrowed in annoyance. He would get them back for this, one way or another- 

 

“You’re getting distracted….” Zelda pointed out meekly, covering up her slight giggles with her hand. Ganondorf sighed and gave Zelda a pointed look.

 

“Well? Have you chosen your flavor yet?” He demanded to know, resisting the urge to fold his arms. Zelda paused and pouted, shaking her head.

 

“Why don’t we let Link go first?” She argued, huffing softly. Ganondorf perked up at that and bent down to Link’s level.

 

“Would you care to order your ice cream before Miss Harkinian and I?” He asked softly. The little Hylian turned to him with an eager nod. 

 

Sidon’s eyes lit up as he barked eagerly, “Me too! Me too!”

 

“You both can.” Ganondorf chuckled, lifting them both up into his arms. Sidon and Link looked delighted, clamoring up to the counter to give their orders. Ganondorf ordered for Link, getting him a birthday cake cone. Sidon decided to order the tuna cream sundae. Ganondorf wrinkled his nose, trying not to imagine what fish with ice cream would taste like--let alone three scoops of it.

 

Setting the boys down, Ganondorf turned his attention to Zelda. She had been smiling at Link and Sidon’s excitement, but was now studying the ice cream parlor menu carefully. Ganondorf did the same.

 

Eventually he came to the conclusion that a spicy pepper and chocolate double cone would do nicely. He gazed down at Zelda once more and asked if she had  _ finally _ made up her mind.

 

Zelda wrinkled her nose with a huff, “You can stop nagging! And yes I have!”   
  
“Let me hear it.” Ganondorf snorted, shaking his head. 

 

Zelda huffed once more before answering, “Cherry and dark chocolate. There, happy?”

 

His lips barely curled up into a smug smirk. He couldn’t help but retort with, “Figures you’d pick something so rich and sweet.”

 

Zelda flushed slightly and turned away, her ears reddening, “I-I’ve never had that flavor before, thank you!”

 

“Doubt that.” Ganondorf chuckled, turning his attention to the counter. He didn’t bother to wait for Zelda as he glowered down at a Zora teen, who shivered in response. He asked for his flavor, narrowing his eyes before leaving a purple rupee as a tip. The teen seemed ecstatic and promised to get his ice cream right away. 

 

After that Zelda shifted over to have her order taken. She tried not to look up at Ganondorf, who’s golden eyes were on her like a hawk. Ready to pay, she was stopped as his large hand moved in front of her’s and dropped some rupees on the counter.

 

“For a job well done tonight.” He promised, walking away as if he hadn’t just payed for her cone. She flushed and stared at the rupees for a bit till she heard one of Ganondorf’s relatives give an irritable sigh. Sheepishly, Zelda moved away from the counter and made her way over to Sidon and Link’s table.

 

The boys were talking and signing back and forth about the concert still, much to Zelda’s surprise. She watched them for a bit, chiming in once in awhile with what she thought. 

 

“I can’t choose a favorite song boys! You know that!” She laughed, pushing a strand of hair back. 

 

Link pouted and nudged Sidon who huffed for him, “Yeah you can Miss Harkinian! Link says his favorite was his solo and “Requiem of Spirit!” 

 

“I know.” Zelda shook her head, an amused smile on her face, “I stand by what I said- I liked all songs equally.”

 

“I know I had my favorites.” Ganondorf spoke up, sitting down next to Zelda. She eyed him curiously, wondering where he had been.

 

Link’s eyes lit up as he eagerly signed that Zelda should choose a favorite song. Ganondorf smirked slightly as he glowered down at Zelda.

 

“You heard the boy,” he chuckled, sitting back in the parlor chair. Said chair, like most Hylian furniture, could barely support his weight, “Pick a favorite song, Zelda.”

 

Zelda’s cheeks turned a bit pink. She hated the way her name sounded on his lips… It sounded rather nice. N-not that she would admit that! Despite them becoming… Friends? Possibly? She wasn’t going to be sweet talked by such a boorish, smug, slightly-cold-yet-around-his-son-warm person! 

 

Zelda sighed and shook her head, “I am being honest. I don’t want to choose a favorite song- I enjoyed them all equally.” She started sitting back in her seat as well.

 

Link and Sidon whined in response yet decided not to push the question further. No reason in forcing her to enjoy one song over the other.

 

Ganondorf adjusted comfortably in his seat, his gaze flicking down towards Sidon. He yawned slightly as he asked, “Which song was the favorite of your family?” 

 

Sidon beamed and barked eagerly, “Of course it was “Serenade of Water”! They thought my singing voice was awesome!”

 

Ganondorf chuckled and nodded, closing his eyes, “Of course they did. You sounded remarkable, Sidon.”

 

“Thanks Mr. Dragmire!” 

 

Zelda smiled slightly at the exchange. She supposed Ganondorf wasn’t smug all the time.

 

Gazing out at the parlor, she watched Ganondorf’s relatives for a moment as she collected her thoughts. Here they were, hanging out in public once more. She felt a bit paranoid as she wondered if there were any cameras around, trying to capture this moment of joy. She shuddered at the thought. Why did the paparazzi have to be so invasive? She knew Ganondorf was one of the most famous figures in Castle Town, yet still…

 

As if sensing her thoughts, Ganondorf leaned down and whispered lowly, “There’s no one watching. I’ve already scoped out the area.”

 

Zelda relaxed, turning her head to look up at Ganondorf. Their gazes connected with an odd sort of intensity that caused her cheeks to flush once more. She wasn’t sure why she felt this way--felt this odd fire starting to burn inside her chest. 

 

Zelda nodded and quickly looked away--afraid her face would turn as red as a tomato.

 

Ganondorf regarded her oddly before standing up when he heard their orders being called. The Gerudo sauntered off to grab their cones and sundaes.

 

Link had his eye on Zelda the entire time she had been interacting with Ganondorf. There was something odd in the way she had been gazing at his Papa! He wasn’t sure what though…    
  
Despite that, his eyes started to widen as he wondered if Zelda… Was in love with his Father. Could it be?! Had his plans been working to get them to become closer to one another?! Sure he had just wanted them to be friends, but to be something more?! Yay! Then he could be related to his favorite teacher and his Papa would feel much less lonely!

 

Link grinned ear to ear and turned to Sidon, bumping at his side. Sidon jumped and tilted his head, looking confused. Link grinned more and motioned for him to look under the table as he signed away. Sidon watched in confusion till his eyes widened and he started to sign back.

 

_ Do you think that’s true? _ Sidon asked, his head tail wagging.

 

_ It could be! _ Link argued with a bright smile.

 

Zelda chuckled and leaned in, resting her face in her hands, “What are you two signing about~?”

 

Link and Sidon both stiffened, trying their hardest to act innocent. Sidon even whistled as best as he could, “Nothing!”

 

“Sure it’s nothing~” Zelda laughed and shook her head. She smiled more once Ganon returned and handed out everyone’s orders. 

 

“Thank you,” She told him sweetly, picking up her cherry and dark chocolate cone, “For… Well,” She twisted a lock of her hair around her finger, gazing down fondly at her ice cream, “Inviting me along with you. You didn’t have to pay for my ice cream yet you did.”

 

“It’s no trouble.” Ganondorf insisted gruffly, yet his features seemed to relax. The fours started to indulge in their ice cream, a comfortable silence surrounding them all.

 

Eventually Link asked if he could try his father’s ice cream, making Ganondorf chuckle.

 

“Watch out,” he warned, lowering the cone down to Link’s level, “It’s rather spicy.”

 

Link wore a cheesy grin as he took a lick of the cone. Suddenly his eyes widened and he spat it out, the ice cream hitting Sidon’s cheek. Sidon squealed and pouted, licking the ice cream up.

 

“Spit on Miss Harkinian instead next time!” He snapped, trying to look intimidating. Link just laughed while Zelda shuddered at the thought.

 

Ganondorf sighed, picking up a napkin and leaning over to wipe Sidon’s cheek. Zelda couldn’t help but feel her heartbeat quicken as she watched him clean the Zora child up. I-It was rather sweet.

 

“No one is spitting on anybody.” Ganondorf shook his head and gave Link a serious look, “Apologize.”

 

Link sighed and gave a reluctant apology. All he wanted to do was argue that it had been funny and that they were all wrong!

 

Ganondorf sat back and turned to Zelda, questioning her, “What are you plans for the next concert? The Winter Solstice correct?”

 

Zelda’s gaze lit up, “Yes! I’m hoping to have the children sing some carols- maybe make it a pageant of sorts with skits and costumes~”

 

Ganondorf chuckled, trying to imagine Link dressed up as a boar. He couldn’t help but find that rather cute.

 

“Sounds interesting.” He nodded, humming softly to himself, “Although I would prefer a concert celebrating the Gerudo New Year.”   
  
“I know.” Zelda gave a sympathetic sigh and shook her head, “The Gerudo have many beautiful New Years songs.”

 

Link chimed in with agreement, stating some of his favorites. It made Zelda smile as she watched how animated he became about his family’s culture. She supposed he must consider himself more Gerudo than Hylian, despite his pale skin and his pointed ears. Although some Gerudo were rather pale, so she supposed that wasn’t far off..

 

The group finished their ice cream, wrappers and bits of cone sitting in the middle of the table. Zelda gazed out the window out at the stars. She wondered…. How and where things would progress now. With the school year, her relationship with Ganondorf, the press… It was all so concerning.

 

Despite that Zelda closed her eyes and prayed. She prayed for only good luck to come their way. She prayed… To grow closer to Ganondorf. To better understand him. 

 

If he wouldn’t leave her thoughts, then she would give in. She would try and become better friends with him no matter what.

 

The Press wouldn’t stop them.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Decided to skip last week for updating due to the 4th of July. I'm American so over here it's a big deal! This story is going to move to an every other week update pattern for awhile as I figure out where the plot will be taking us! Thank you for being understanding.
> 
> And remember, don't forget to leave a review! Thanks!


	12. Mask Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mask Day has finally arrived, yet Ganondorf cannot take Link out for Mask Day this year. Desperate to make his son happy, he turns to Zelda and asks her to take Link out trick or treating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I haven't been feeling well lately and just finished a bunch of school work. Taking a break gave me more motivations and ideas to write, so I suppose it's only necessary. Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

“What do you mean there’s a board meeting tonight?!” Ganondorf snarled into his Crystal Ball. Nabooru sighed and shook her head, annoyed with his attitude.

 

“I meant what it means--there’s a meeting and neither of us can miss it.” Nabooru wished she had pawned this bad news off on someone else. Dealing with Ganondorf’s tantrums was the last thing she wanted to do with her night off.

 

“I don’t care! Find someone else to cover!” The Gerudo hissed in anger, “I have to take Link out trick or treating! I’ve never missed!”

 

“Well you’ll have to-- they’re demanding to see you there.” Nabooru ran a hand through her hair, “Look Gan, I know Link is important. But you can’t miss this meeting or there’ll be serious consequences involved.”

 

Ganondorf fumed, hair bristling, eyes ignited with anger. What kind of idiot schedules a meeting on Mask Day?! Everyone would want to be at home celebrating instead of being stuck in an office building! The Gerudo scowled and hung up on Nabooru, who wasn’t surprised. There went Ganon into one of his moods, yet again.

 

Ganondorf stood up, pacing anxiously. He felt his chest tighten as he wondered how he would help Link with this one. How would he break the news… And more importantly, who would be able to take Link trick or treating? Nabooru obviously couldn’t, so who else-

 

His cheeks flushed slightly as he gave a sigh. Never mind--he knew  _ exactly _ who’d be able to take Link. He wasn’t going to enjoy asking for help, that’s for sure. 

 

Running a hand down his face, Ganondorf sighed and glared down at the crystal ball on his desk. Of course it had to be her. It seemed he still couldn’t get away from Zelda. No matter how hard he tried she would always be there, wouldn’t she. They had seemed to grow closer after Link’s concert. They would say hi to one another on the days he drove to Link’s school to pick him up.

 

Ganondorf called up Zelda’s number, dreading speaking with her. Asking for a favor meant owing her something. Nothing good came from owing people favors.

 

Eventually Zelda answered, wearing what looked like to be those frog printed pajamas. Her strawberry blonde hair was in two messy braids, some strands of it covering up her face. In her hands she hugged a large frog close and seemed to be surprised to get a call. 

 

“Ganondorf?!” She gaped, flushing a bit with embarrassment. Or that’s what Ganondorf thought at least. 

 

The Gerudo nodded, leaning down intensely, “Yes. It is I.” He sighed once more and tried to ignore her cute outfit. He would not let some incidental cuteness distract him, “I need to ask a favor of you.”

 

Zelda tilted her head in confusion. A favor? What for? She couldn’t help but feel her skin heat up slightly. Here was an attractive man calling her late in the evening, asking for a favor-

  
Ah! Focus Zelda! She flushed as she realized she was assuming a rather different turn of events than what would be likely to play out.

 

“What is it?” She finally managed to ask.

 

Ganondorf laced his fingers together and leaned in, resting his chin in his hands. He spoke very quietly, “I need someone to take Link trick or treating tomorrow… You’re the only one I trust.”

 

Zelda felt shocked to hear that. The only one he trusted?! He had to have other confidants or friends!    
“Nabooru can’t do it?” She had to ask, making sure she understood what was going on correctly.

 

“We’re both being forced to attend a business meeting. Otherwise she would.” Ganondorf explained, irritated at the reminder of the meeting. Zelda winced a bit and gave him a comforting nod.

 

“Alright…” She frowned and messed with the end of her braid, “I’m not sure I can do it….. I’m sure it would be seen as unfair treatment if I were out trick or treating with Link.”

 

“I realize that.” Ganondorf’s fuzzy brows furrowed tensely as he spoke, “But there’s no one else to turn to. I can’t just have him go out with Mipha and Sidon alone. He could be kidnapped.”

 

“I suppose.” Zelda worried her lip, not sure how to feel. Ganondorf had a point, but the other children… It wasn’t fair to them.

 

“I don’t know…” She trailed off. For some reason she couldn’t stand the idea of disappointing him. That look in his eyes, as if he was afraid she’d say no.

 

“I could get you a costume,” Ganondorf offered, hands gently slamming down onto the table and gripping the edge of it. Zelda jumped as she heard the sound, “You could dress up as a Wizzrobe, mask and all.”

 

Zelda’s gaze lit up at the idea. A mask? That could work! No one but the kids would know it’s her! 

 

“I guess I could do it then.” Zelda smiled a little and nodded. To her secret delight, Ganondorf’s gaze lit up.

 

“Thank you.” He tried not to smile, not wanting to seem too grateful, “What would you like in return?”

 

Zelda looked away shyly and smiled a little, “You don’t have to owe me anything. So long as Link has fun… I’m happy.”

 

Ganondorf was surprised to hear that, although he wasn’t sure why. Zelda had shone she was genuine before. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he gave a nod, “Alright… Well thank you.”

 

Zelda was different…. Very different from other girls. Different from other people. To think she would help him out of the kindness of his heart… He wasn’t sure what to say.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow with the costume.” He finally spoke up, stroking at his beard in thought.

 

“Alright. 6:30 sound good?” Zelda asked softly, feeling her heart race as well.

 

“Sure. Don’t be late.” Ganondorf teased slightly, causing Zelda’s face to heat up with embarrassment.

 

“I won’t be!” Sure argued quickly before saying goodbye and hanging up.

 

Ganondorf sat back in his office chair, wondering how someone could be so kind.

* * *

Link felt giddy as he put on his skull mask and twirled about. He was made up in cloth, straw, and grass accents. He felt just like a Skull Kid! Ganondorf chuckled and snapped a few photos of the excited little boy. He was just grateful Link wasn’t too upset that he couldn’t go.

Link eagerly looked up at Ganondorf, who scooped him up into a tight hug. The Gerudo chuckled and rubbed his beard across Link’s face, making the other giggle despite the mask. He gave his son an amused look and just held him close.

“You’re too scary, little one,” He chuckled into Link’s ear, “Don’t scare too many people out there.”

Link grinned and argued that he wouldn’t make any promises. Mask Day was suppose to be scary!

Ganondorf looked about the living room and admired their work. He and Link had spent the last month decorating their home with cut outs of keese, various poe designs, stalfos--anything that struck terror into the hearts of a Hyrulean, it would be up there. Orange, black, green, and purple tinsel was strung up messily. Some was woven around the heads of stalfos that held candles, lighting up the room. Outside the house cobwebs, graves, and moblins dotted the yard. Some poes were strung up in the trees, with a circle of them standing in the middle of the lawn. It had been a lot of work, yet Link seemed so pleased with the decorations. 

Which of course warmed Ganondorf’s heart.

Ganondorf set Link down and gathered up his briefcase, waiting for Mipha and Sidon to arrive. He had to get some pictures of Sidon and Link together in costumes. They were both too cute for words.

The Gerudo perked up as he heard some knocks on the door and an eager, loud voice. Ah, there they were.

He opened the door and greeted Mipha kindly, smiling down at her, “You are not in costume?”

“I’m too old to dress up.” Mipha argued, flushing a little. She was wearing cat ears on her head and a bat patterned scarf, so he supposed there was an attempt.

“I doubt that.” Ganondorf shook his head and offered the two candy. Sidon eagerly filled his bucket with some, beaming widely.

“Thank you!” Sidon chirped, putting his bucket down and running over to Link.

“You look awesome Link!” He laughed happily, making Link beam even though no one could see his smile past his mask.

He complimented Sidon on his Octorok costume, making Sidon grin happily. He was glad to hear that his outfit looked scary!

“Is it true Miss Harkinian is coming with us?” Mipha asked softly, watching as Link and Sidon practiced scaring techniques.

“Yes.” Ganondorf nodded, straightening somewhat. “She accepted my offer.”

“That’s good.” Mipha smiled to herself as she added, “Sidon is a handful by himself. I can’t imagine what he and Link are like together.”

“Complete troublemakers.” Ganondorf guessed with a light chuckle.

He checked his watch, making sure Zelda was getting there on time. Just five more minutes. Ganondorf left the living room and went to get Zelda’s costumed that he had had commissioned. He hoped it would fit.

Another knock was heard at the door. Ganondorf wasted no time answering it and glowering down at Zelda. She gave a small flinch till he smiled slightly.

“For once you’re early.”

“Just for you.” She gave a sheepish look and stepped inside, depositing her purse on the couch. It was only her second time in his home and yet she felt more comfortable.    
  
Things between her and Ganondorf… They felt good now.

“I would like you to try on your costume.” He informed her, bringing a box over to the Hylian. She smiled and dug in, taking out an intricate looking mask and robes.

“This is all for me?” she gaped at how nice the costume looked. Ganondorf gave a small nod and had her stand up, helping her get the costume on.

“I can’t have you going out there and looking bad with my son.” He pointed out, fixing the mask onto her head. Zelda felt the urge to make a snappy retort, yet held it back.

“Thanks.” She sighed and adjusted the mask so she could see out of it better. Luckily the costume wasn’t too cumbersome or uncomfortable.

“I think you’re all ready to go.” Ganondorf exclaimed, feeling at ease. He bent down to Link’s level and adjusted his mask before giving him a hug.

“Behave, alright?” He whispered, feeling torn. He wished he could be there in Zelda’s place, enjoying the night with friends and family.

Link gave a small hug and grasped onto his father tightly. He didn’t want to let his Papa go. Even though Zelda would be there, it wasn’t going to be the same.

“Knock’em dead.” Ganondorf chuckled, making sure Link and Sidon had their baskets. The group bid Ganondorf farewell as they exited the house and made their way towards the sidewalk.

Sidon shivered from the cool October breeze. It was spooky, being outside in the dark with only lamp light to guide you. All the houses they walked past were decorated with such spooky decorations! One had a huge skultula blown up in their yard!

“I-I promise I’ll keep you safe, Link!” He whispered, squeezing the other boy’s hand. Link felt honored and promised the same for Sidon.

“Awww, they’re holding hands.” Zelda whispered to Mipha, who cooed at the sight as well. They’d have to take some pictures for Ganondorf.

Zelda slipped her phone out and took some pictures, a part of her glowing with pride at the thought of making the Gerudo happy. N-not that she was sure why! He was just a nice friend after all!   
  
“How about we stop at that house?” Mipha offered with a small smile. The house was a quaint, one story bungalow with tons of gravestones decorating the yard.

“Are you kids ready to get some candy?” Zelda asked, smiling as the two boys cheered with delight. Sidon ran up to the house, dragging Link along with him.

The Zora rang the doorbell, screeching with joy when a Goron answered, “Trick or treat!”

“Well, aren’t you two scary!” The Goron laughed, taking out some candy rocks from the bowl and dumping them into each boy’s bucket, “Don’t be too scary now!”   
  
“I can’t promise that!” Sidon laughed, thanking the Goron for his generosity. Link’s face lit up as he observed their first grab of the night. Thing were going to go great at this rate!

“What did you two get?” Mipha asked as they walked back. Sidon boasted all about the candy rocks, sounding proud of how much candy they had gotten just from one house.

“Nice job.” Zelda congratulated, giving Link a warm smile he couldn’t see. Despite that he beamed and hugged Zelda’s legs.

The group started to make their way to the next house, seeing other children along the way. Link eagerly ran towards them and tried to scare them, which made the other children scream and laugh. Zelda relaxed, happy to see Link having a good time. 

“This house over here!” Sidon decided, running towards a bigger looking home. Link ran to catch up with him as he buzzed the doorbell. A Hylian answered to the sounds of Sidon’s greeting, looking amused when he did.

“You two are much too scary.” He chuckled, admiring their costumes. He gave the two some chocolate bars, much to their delight.

“I don’t eat chocolate very often.” Sidon admitted softly, looking pleased, “I can’t wait to have some!”

Link giggled to himself and nodded. He gave Sidon one of his chocolate bars, much to the other’s surprise.

“Are you sure?!” Sidon gaped.

Link nodded and hugged his friend’s side. Zelda smiled warmly at the sight and quickly snapped a picture while they weren’t looking.

“You know,” Mipha spoke up, watching the two with a keen eye, “Sometimes I feel as though there is more between the two.”

“You think…” Zelda trailed off as Mipha gave a confident nod.

“Look at the way they interact… It’s closer than friends.”

“But they’re just children…” Zelda wasn’t sure it was appropriate to assume Link and Sidon had feelings for one another… Then again children did develop crushes early on.

“I can see what you mean.” Zelda admitted, making Mipha smile in amusement.

“Thank you.” She replied, adjusting her cat ears. 

Zelda chuckled and offered, “Why don’t you go up there with them at the next house? Grab some candy for yourself.”

Mipha flushed and quickly shook her head, “N-nonsense. I’m too old to trick or treat.”

“What?” Zelda shook her head, “You’re only a freshman. You could still go up there.”   
  
“No thanks.” Mipha replied, looking embarrassed. However, she couldn’t help but eye Sidon’s candy. Taking one piece wouldn’t hurt…

Mipha started to reach into his bucket when the Zora turned around and yelled, “Hey! Don’t steal my candy Mipha!”

Mipha blushed and smiled a little, gently ruffling Sidon’s head fin, “I wasn’t! I swear~”   
  
Sidon pouted fiercely and shook his head, hissing at her, “Yes you were! Go get your own!”

Mipha raised her hands up defensively and chuckled, giving a nod, “Alright! I guess… I can try going up there with you two.”

“That’s the spirit.” Zelda chuckled, causing Mipha to smile a little. 

Link lead the way as he found the next house and knocked, Mipha deciding to say trick or treat for the group. Another Hylian answered and chuckled as she saw Mipha with the group.

“And you’re a cat?” She asked with a kind smile as Mipha gave an embarrassed nod.

“How lovely.” The Hylian gave all three of them full sized chocolate bars, “My favorite animal.”

“Thank you.” Mipha and Sidon told her, Link nodding in agreement. Mipha felt giddy as the left the house. She gazed up at the moon in thought. Zelda was right--she needed to get out there, take chances.

The rest of the night went well. Not every house had the best candy, yet the kids didn’t seem to care. They seemed delighted as they filled up their buckets. Zelda snapped tons of cute pictures. She couldn’t help but lament Ganondorf’s lack of cellphone, having to email him the pictures instead. Once it reached 8:30, Zelda wondered if Ganondorf’s meeting had finished. Maybe… He could join them for five or so more houses?

She gave a decisive nod and spoke up, turning to Mipha, “I should ask if Ganondorf could come and join us. Maybe his meeting is over.”

  
Zelda felt confused as an odd look crossed Mipha’s face. Suddenly she wore a mischievous smile, “Any reasons why~?”   
  
“W-what?” Zelda flushed and took her mask off to regard Mipha with a look, “For Link of course!”   
  
“I doubt that’s the only reason~” Mipha teased softly. She had a feeling Zelda was growing awfully close to Ganondorf~ 

Zelda put her mask back on with a sigh and shook her head, “I don’t know what you’re implying. I think you’re reading into things too deeply.”

“Sure I am~” Mipha chuckled, walking ahead, “I could call Nabooru for you.”

“Alright.” Zelda felt relieved as Mipha took out her gossip stone. Zelda felt surprised as the Gerudo woman answered.

“I could get him out of there to meet up with you!” She spoke eagerly to Mipha, “Just tell me the address and he’ll be on his way!”

“Thank you.” Mipha felt delighted and gave her the address. Once she hung up she turned to Zelda with a delighted look, “How’s that?”

“Wow…” She gave Mipha a grateful smile as she spoke, “Thank you. I just hope he can get here in time.”

“I think he will.” Mipha reassured Zelda.

As the meeting was wrapping up, Ganondorf couldn’t help but smile and look through the pictures of Link that Zelda had sent. He and Sidon looked so cute together… Almost as if they were a couple-

Ganondorf shook his head and chuckled. He was being ridiculous- they were only children after all.

As he looked through the photos he saw one of Zelda posing with the kids. He couldn’t help but stare at her, his mind whirling. She was so good with children. Of course that came with the territory of being a teacher he supposed. Despite that… She seemed good enough with children to be a mother. Possibly. Ganondorf couldn’t stop himself from imagining Zelda pushing a stroller, or playing with Link in a sandbox. His cheeks heated up a bit as his mind danced with images of Zelda being motherly-

“You’ve stared at those photos for an awfully long time.” Nabooru chuckled, snapping him out of his day dreams. Ganondorf flushed more and growled, shutting his laptop.   
  
“I have not.” He rolled his eyes and glared at her, causing Nabooru to grin.

“That’s not what I see.” She chuckled, leaning in, “Listen, you should go and meet up with them. I can cover for you.”

“You know that would be irresponsible-” Ganondorf sighed till Nabooru cut him off.

“You want to spend time with Zelda. Just admit it~” 

Ganondorf twitched, flaring up in irritation, “What on earth are you implying?!”

“I’m not implying anything- just noting what’s there~” Nabooru snickered deviously.

“I’m going for Link’s sake--I could care less what happens to Zelda!” Ganondorf hissed, hoping no one could hear them.

Nabooru just smirked at him and gave a careless shrug as she cooed, “Whatever keeps you in denial I suppose~ Go out there and meet up with them.”

“I will if it keeps you off my back.” Ganondorf growled, standing up and grabbing his things as the meeting droned on. He didn’t care who he offended as he left and made his way to his car.

Zelda carried a tired Link as they made their way towards the end of the block. She bit her lip and hoped that Ganondorf would come soon. The kids were getting tuckered out from all the walking. 

Before she could fret any longer, headlights shone out at them. Zelda and the others jumped before Ganondorf exited the car and strode over to the group.

Link perked up from his tired state and started to squirm, eager to see Ganondorf. He chuckled and made his way over to his son, scooping Link up into a hug.

“Have you gotten a lot of candy?”

Link nodded eagerly and cuddled against Ganondorf, happy he could make it. Zelda smiled fondly at the sight. Ganondorf was such a good father. She found that trait in men rather attractive-

Her eyes widened as she caught herself mid thought. She flushed and tried to push her thoughts aside. Where were these odd thoughts and feelings coming from?! She wasn’t sure how to feel about Ganondorf.

Were they only friends or something… M-more?

Zelda admired the scene between Father and son. Stars shone above them and twinkled as a cool October breeze blew through the trees and made their leaves rustle and dance. 

It was a nice, peaceful Mask Day.

* * *

 


	13. Awakened Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda realizes her feelings for Ganondorf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter is pretty short for a number of reasons. Life has gotten in the way, school starts again soon, and writers block. I wanted to put something out to tide you guys over till I can figure out what happens next!

Zelda didn’t want to admit it, but she found Ganondorf attractive.

 

And not just physically.

 

All week after Mask Day it was hard for her to focus on her daily routine. Her passion for teaching, or reading a good book after school seemed to fade as all she could think of was that smug smile. That intimidating stance, his proud, bold gait! 

 

Yet most importantly, the way he cared for his son. The passion he held whenever he cuddled Link close and tried to make him feel loved.

 

Zelda couldn’t stop thinking about it as she blankly stabbed at her salad, staring into space. She held the forkful up and tried to place it into her mouth. Too distracted, she ended up hitting her cheek with it instead. 

 

Zelda’s face flushed with embarrassment as she shook her head, forcing herself to focus on eating. She was acting like a lovesick schoolgirl! This was ridiculous! 

 

“I can see you’re deep in thought.” Impa teased suddenly, causing Zelda to jump a bit in her seat. She winced and gave a shy nod, not saying anything.

 

Impa raised a brow as she watched Zelda sigh and look away. She had noticed her friend’s odd behavior ever since Mask Day’s night. It had her intrigued; she knew something must be going on between her and Ganondorf. The two had an odd charisma. 

 

She and Nabooru had been talking about it through their Gossip Stones. 

 

Impa quirked a brow silently as she watched Zelda give a frustrated look and stab at her salad. It was quite amusing, to say the least.

 

“Why can’t I think about anything else?!” Zelda asked suddenly, scowling down at the dressing covered crouton hanging to her fork, “It’s tiring! Thinking about only-!”

 

“Him?” Impa guessed quickly, making Zelda jump up in surprise. 

 

Zelda stared for a moment before flushing and giving a frustrated nod, “Fine, fine! Yes! I can’t stop thinking about him!”

 

Impa leaned in curiously, wearing a slight smile. This was most amusing indeed. “Did you have that much fun during Mask Day?”    
  
Zelda gave her a withering look, narrowing her eyes for a moment before sighing dramatically, “You know I did Impa.” She started to eat her salad more normally than before, despite her limbs seizing up with anxiety, “It’s just.... When Ganondorf met up with us…” Her tongue felt heavy as she tried to describe how she felt. It was maddening, just maddening to admit that she… That she…

 

Was starting to gain a crush on him. There. She had finally admitted it, there was no way of hiding it.

 

Ganondorf Dragmire was attractive, and seemingly kind underneath his hardened exterior.

 

Impa waited patiently for Zelda to speak again, feeling a bit surprised. She supposed Zelda had never been in a real relationship during college. She tended to alienate herself from others due to her passion for music. To her, her growing and slightly obvious crush on Ganondorf had to feel out of control.

 

“He met up with you and then?” Impa asked softly, urging Zelda to continue.

 

Zelda flushed more and managed to spit out, “I couldn’t stop admiring how kind he can be!”

 

Silence surrounded them for awhile till Impa started to laugh softly, causing Zelda’s cheeks to flush up in embarrassment. What?! This wasn’t a laughing matter!   
  
“It’s fair if you have a crush on him, Zelda,” Impa argued softly, quirking her brow in amusement, “It’s perfectly normal.”   
  
“I know,” She groaned, her salad all but forgotten as she tugged furiously at her hair and sighed. “I know I know! He probably doesn’t like me back!”   
  
“You don’t know that.” Impa argued softly, raising a brow as she drank her tea. Zelda fumed a bit and started to rant and list off all the reasons why Ganondorf wouldn’t return her feelings. 

 

Impa listened, giving an amused look as Zelda finished with, “He doesn’t even like Hylians very much! I’m shocked he even likes me!”

 

“That’s a start.” Was all Impa said, closing her eyes peacefully.

 

Zelda sputtered and stared at Impa for a moment, as if she had grown a second head.

 

Taking in a deep breath, Zelda sighed and stared out the classroom window gloomily, “Yeah a start. Sure. We’re barely becoming good friends.”

 

“Then you need to ask to hang out with him more,” Impa pointed out automatically, setting her tea down. She narrowed her eyes, forcing Zelda to make eye contact with a worried frown, “The best way to see if he returns your feelings is to become closer to him, no?”

 

Zelda paused and thought about what Impa was saying. Ever wise, she supposed the Shiekah had a point…

 

“I guess you’re right.” Zelda admitted, wringing her hands anxiously. She had to calm down.    
  
A crush wasn’t that important. What was was staying Ganondorf’s friend. For some unexplained reason she wanted that. 

Of course she cared about Link. She loved seeing him become happy. Yet for some reason Ganondorf wouldn’t or couldn’t escape her thoughts. She found herself caring for his relationship with Link, his business--she cared for him more than a teacher should towards one of their student’s parents.

 

Yet finally, she had decided, that might not be such a bad thing.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Zelda fanfic and I'm so excited to be able to share it with you all. Updates are to happen every Tuesday at 4. I'll try to stick to this schedule however, life and anxiety can sometimes make writing hard! Thank you for being understanding. 
> 
> I hope you liked it. c:


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